Harry Potter and the Treasures of Merlin
by ferretfriend
Summary: Harry Potter is coping with the death of Sirius Black. When he inherits the Black fortune, he gets all the contents in the Black vault. One of these is a mysterious pendent. Harry runs away. He becomes more powerful, and is transported to ...
1. Chapter 1: Beginnings

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Merlin, or friends. They belong (in the reference I'm using them, anyway) to J.K. Rowling and T.A. Barron.

Of the future 

_A man doth appear_

_Alone and Different_

_And yet without fear_

_He arriveth uncertain_

_From new world to old_

_Born with the burden_

_His destiny told_

_He bears a scar_

_Of a battle long dead_

_In the shape of lightning _

_Upon his forehead_

_With emerald eyes_

_And hair jet black_

_He bringeth the power_

_The Treasures still lack_

_Though broken and battered _

_The Treasures may be_

_He'll restoreth their wonder_

_For he is the key_

_His transport? Well,_

_Leaping it be_

_He has the power _

_Though does not see_

_He'll meet a maiden_

_At the edge of the wood_

_He'll hideth his power_

_Though show them he could_

_Though friend and foe_

_He left behind_

_He must return_

_Fuller of mind_

_Rhita Gwar_

_The evil boar_

_Will in the future _

_Be no more_

_His foe and mine_

_They are the same_

_Of different times_

_Of different names_

_Yet they are the same thing_

_Same spirit, same man_

_Riddle and Gawr_

_Both with the same plan_

_The future rests_

_In the newcomer's hands_

_If triumph he does_

_Twill save many lands_

_Through triumph and hope_

_Three worlds will be saved_

_But failure will bring _

_Consequences grave_

_Only one can triumph_

_The other must fall_

_Whether light or darkness_

_Twill cover all_

These parting words had been playing around the young girl's head for over a year. The great spirit himself, Dagda, had told these to her. She was confused, but was content all the same. It's hard not to when you live in a place like…

Thousands of miles away, a young man named Harry Potter awoke with a start. He sunk back into his small bed, trying as hard as he could to banish, yet again, that horrible image of what had happened at the Department of Mysteries. "Sirius…" He rose from his bed, knowing it would be pointless to try to sleep. Instead, he turned to his unopened mail. There were several letters from the Weasleys, a family who knew and loved Harry as if he was part of that family. He also saw letters from the Order of the Phoenix, a secret society of witches and wizards devoted to fighting the dark arts and their followers. Moving further down the pile, he saw roughly three letters from his close friend Hermione Granger. She, along with Ron Weasley, was his best friend. He even saw a few letters from the Hogwarts gamekeeper, Hagrid. Hogwarts was the school Harry had been attending since the age of eleven. Just then, he saw a familiar white silhouette in the window.

"Hello Hedwig, old girl. What've ya brought me this time? More sympathy letters?" But no, that wasn't it. The letter bore an unfamiliar seal. He studied it carefully, and saw that it was the official seal of Gringotts Wizarding Bank. He brought the letter closer to his eyes so he could read the address. It said _To Mr. Harry Potter_. Yep, there was no mistaking it; the letter was for him. He flipped it over and broke the seal, pulling the letter out a second later.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We are contacting you in regards to the recent death of one Sirius Black, who, our records claim, wanted you present for the reading of his will. The will be read on July 7, at 11:00 in the morning. Please report to the Gringotts bank located in Diagon Alley. We look forward to seeing you there. Given your lack of a parent or guardian to bring you, we will be sending someone. They will pick you up at 9:30 the same morning so you may shop while the will is being prepared for reading. _

_Yours in Banking,_

_Griphook_

Harry looked down at his watch, only to realize that he didn't have one. After his had broken during the Triwizard Tournament, he had forgotten to get a replacement. He noted that, and decided to get one after the will was read. He looked at the calendar, and saw that July 7 was tomorrow. _Such much for giving me notice long before hand._ He forced himself back into bed, deciding he would need his sleep, and tried to go to sleep, only succeeding after about 30 minutes.

The next day, Harry awoke at 7:00. He got out of bed, and prepared for the day ahead. When he was finished, it was only 7:15. He still had two hours and fifteen minutes to kill. He took out some of his homework, and started on an essay for Potions. He didn't like Potions, at least not the way his teacher at Hogwarts taught it. Working on his own, he found it surprisingly enjoyable. He was able to finish all of his potions assignments, and was just starting his Transfiguration homework when he heard the crack that goblins made when they apparated. He looked outside, and saw a familiar toothy goblin looking around. Fortunately, the entire neighborhood was at their annual picnic, so the streets were deserted. He gathered up his school things and locked them in his room. Coming back downstairs, he went out the front door and walked to meet Griphook.

"Hello, Harry Potter, sir. I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Griphook, the goblin who first brought you down to you vault," Griphook said, flashing a toothy smile. "Ah, yes, I remember you. How have you been doing?" Harry asked politely. "Me, sir? It has been quite some time since a wizard asked me that question. I'm doing fine Mr. Potter. Very fine indeed." "What do you mean it's been some time since a wizard asked how you are doing? I mean, I know they are crummy wizards out there like the Malfoys, but we're not all like that, are we?" "I'm afraid so, Mr. Potter. Many wizards look down on us goblins. But you do not, and this greatly raises your reputation with the Gringotts Company. Already the Board of Directors are considering asking your advice on a rather _delicate_ situation."

Harry looked up in surprise. "Me? What would they want my opinion for? I'm no brilliant mathematician." Griphook smiled again, snapping his fingers. Instantly a small car appeared. Ordinarily it was used for goblins Harry guessed, but a seat in the front had been modified to fit a man. Harry took a seat as Griphook clambered in to the driver's part, and started the engine. When they started moving, the world became a blur. Harry had no idea a small car could move that fast. A few minutes later, they had stopped outside the huge whit marble pillars of Gringotts Bank.

Griphook bid Harry good-bye, and drove, or rather rushed away. Harry looked up at the clock in Gringotts and saw he still had an hour left before the reading. He turned to look down Diagon Alley, but in the distance, the entrance to Knockturn Alley glistened. He might want to check that out later. In the meantime, he headed to Flourish and Blotts, a popular bookstore. He found an interesting book on metamorphmagi and continued to read it. The book told of several signs that revealed whether or not you were a metamorphmagi. Harry thought hard. When he was little, he had made his hair grow completely back in a day.

He moved to a mirror, and looked at himself. His jet black hair had always been unruly, and that's the way he liked it. He tried to imagine his hair like Malfoy's, but retched and the thought. Then he imagined himself in the mirror, no scar on his forehead. He threw every fiber of his being into it and looked up, sighing as he say the familiar lightning bolt. Perhaps he wasn't a metamorphmagus after all. But hold on! The corners of the scar twitched and slowly, almost reluctantly began to fade. He worked for the rest of his time, and found that by concentrating on what he wanted to look like, by envisioning it in his mind's eye, he could change his appearance without a word. He had just started to consider going down Knockturn Alley as the clock in the store stroked eleven. He rushed out of the store, and through the marble pillars of Gringotts. He spotted a door to his left marked _Will Reading of Sirius Black in Process. Do not disturb._ He sprinted to it and burst through the door. He looked around frantically, his eyes moving from face to face. Griphook was there along with a few other familiar faces. Remus Lupin, who had been Harry Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher during his third year, was sitting at the table, looking extremely tired. It had, after all, been a full moon last night. To his left was Nymphodora Tonks, her hair a vivid pink. She smiled at him and said, "Wotcher, Harry!" Harry's eyes roved farther down, and he saw a group of goblins that he had never seen before. He didn't know why, but Harry felt that these were than the average goblin. For one thing, they were more finely dressed; each wearing suits of silk as opposed to the usual Gringottts attire, which consisted of some sort of nylon cloth. The color of this cloth depended on the department were the Goblin worked. Yellow, for the goblins who went down to the vaults; Red, for the accountants who counted the money; Green, for the curse-breakers; Blue, for the security (these where the ones who checked if anyone had been sucked into a vault); and Black, for the matters of the deceased. Everyone was wearing black, but Harry could tell what type of goblins they were by the color of their ties. It matched their department's color. Moving further down the line, he saw his headmaster, Professor Dumbledore. Upon the sight of the old man, mixed feeling entered Harry's mind. Some were of anger, others of curiosity, and a few of admiration.

Harry opened his mouth, took several deep breaths, and said, "What are you all doing here?"

Dumbledore smiled and said, "Oh, we too, except perhaps me, are mentioned in the will. As for me, I decided to be your guard personally, though I felt it best not to reveal my presence to you."

Lupin spoke from the table in his tired voice, "We saw you working on your abilities in Flourish and Blotts earlier. I frankly amazed that you were able to master it so quickly. I'm sure your parents, and Sirius, would be extremely pro-" But he was cut off by Tonks, a metimorphmagus herself who piped up, "Yeah, go Harry! Give us a demonstration." Harry was modest, and didn't really want to, but he knew Tonks would keep pestering him, so he obliged. Concentrating on his hair, he managed to turn it into a brown Afro. (Shudder) Tonks squealed excitedly and told him to change back. Dumbledore beamed at him, eyes ever twinkling. He turned his hair back to his unruly black (Ah, much better.) and turned to the goblins, who looked like they were enjoying the show, but would surely want to get down to business.

One of them, wearing a black tie, cleared his throat and said, " Well, if nobody has any objections, I would like to get started. Let the record show that the reading of the will of the recently deceased Sirius Black, will now be read on July 7, at 11: 10 A.M. Waving his hand at an envelope, he muttered the words _holo graphis_. The letter flew to the center of the table, and as it did, the lights dimmed slightly. A blue circle appeared in the middle, and the small image of Sirius Black appeared. He started to speak, and the words formed in a gold writing above him.

_I, Sirius Black, being of sound mind, (shut up Moony) am fully aware of the following statement. This is my will, and if it is being read, then I must have left you. First, I know Harry is there, so Harry, please don't mourn over me. I'm sure I went out with a bang, and as long as I caused some trouble, then I have no regrets, save one, which is that I have been able to spend as much time with you as I would have liked. Please accept the following things that I give you. The underlined words only you can read, they are not there to anyone else, as I don't want anyone else reading them. I am sorry I had to leave you, my friends, but I'm in a better place now, with James. (Though how I have no idea with the trouble I caused) For those of you who don't know, the Black fortune consists of roughly 23 million galleons. I am leaving this all to Harry Potter, with the following exceptions. To Remus Lupin, I leave 100,000 galleons. Use them to buy yourself some new robes. To Albus Dumbledore, I leave 100,000 galleons. You may use them as you see fit. For the Order, for Hogwarts, or for leisure, I don't care. Use them well. Tonks, I know you're here too, so decided to leave you 100,000 galleons as well. To Harry Potter, I leave the rest, as well as Grimauld Place, though I ask you to let the Order continue to use it for their purposes. Redecorate, redesign, or just completely destroy it and build a new one, I don't care. Just let it stay as Headquarters. Also, Harry, I leave to you the little known manor in the Alps. This is my personal gift to you. I know you will appreciate its many advantages, and hope you have fun with it. In it, you will find a few more special gifts. And now, friends, it's time for me to leave. I hope you have long, full lives, and always remember that life is full of surprises, for that is how the Marauders lived. Oh, and by the way, Harry, when you go down to the Black vault, look inside the chests engraved with rubies and the Marauder's sign. (It's on the map)_

With those final words, the image disappeared, and the lights returned. The goblin scribe, who had marked it all down, handed it to the head of the deceased office. He snapped his fingers, and a file appeared. He placed it in the file, and snapped again. Instantly, it vanished.

He cleared his throat and said, "Well, gentlemen, I believe our business is done. Oh, but Mr. Potter? Would you stay behind? We have something we would like to discuss with you." Harry nodded and turned to Lupin. "I won't take long. I want to visit the Black vault anyway. I'll catch the Knight Bus home. Don't worry, I'll be fine" Remus looked somewhat apprehensive, but agreed all the same, so Harry was left to talk with the goblins.

"Well, what is you wanted my advice on? I'm warning you, my advice probably isn't worth much. Are you sure one of the goblins working here can't help more than I can? I sure everyone here is more then qualified." The goblins smiled, and one said, "You flatter us, Mr. Potter. We want to know your opinion because you care about what goblins think. Griphook here has spoken very highly of you, and we've gotten similar reports from the other goblins that have helped you in the past. Here is the issue: We know you are a strong enemy of the Dark Lord, but we also know that you are honest with us. Now, the Dark Lord has sent an ambassador to us. He wants our help in this war, and is trying to recruit us. He has tempted us with freedoms we have been denied by the Ministry, but we are apprehensive. In his previous reign, many goblins were killed needlessly. What do you think we should do?"

Harry thought for a while before answering. "Well, I would strongly recommend avoided allying yourselves with Lord Voldemort. He is ruthless, and once he has gotten what he needs from you, you will no longer be essential. I don't need to tell you what would happen then." He said grimly. The goblins looked around at each other, considering this. "And," he went on, "What is the point of having these freedoms he is offering you if your not alive to use them? If he does not kill you, he will enslave you, and where would your freedom be then? I'm trustworthy, you're all trustworthy, but Voldemort does not play by the rules. He can never be trusted. Never. I am, of course, hesitant, because if you refuse outright, you will make yourselves an immense target. He will want to conquer you and take the gold of Gringotts for himself. So my advice is this: Do not flat out refuse the Death Eater ambassador. Make it appear as if you are seriously considering it. That is the best advice I have to offer."

The goblins looked around, and nodded in agreement. The goblin that had spoken before spoke again, saying, "This, Mr. Potter, is the best advice we have ever received from an outside source in the history of the bank. You gave advice that was supported by solid evidence, raised questions with much meaning, and, above all, were concerned for our well-being, not just your own. This is why the goblin society respects you so, and will follow your advice to the best of their abilities."

Then the goblin with the red tie, the Head of Accounting, stepped forward and said, "Mr. Potter, because you have given us such wonderful advice, please accept this gift." He pulled out a small sack. It was made of velvet, and he could practically feel the magical power coming from it. "This bag," the goblin went on, "Is our spender friendly vault in a pocket. Please insert your hand in the sack." Harry did so, and as he did, it contracted around his hand. He was a little nervous, but realized the goblins where trying to help him. In a flash of white light, a sign appeared on the sack, and it loosened around his hand, Examining the mark on the bag, he saw it was none other than the Marauder's seal, which was a Stag, Dog, Werewolf, and Rat gathered around a large golden M in the middle.

He looked up suddenly as the goblin described it in more detail. "You simple insert your hand in this bag, and you can pull whatever amount of gold you need. They aren't available to the public right now, and we only have 7 in stock, including this one. We hope you enjoy it, and remember, we are always eager to see you should you feel like dropping by."

Harry pocketed the bag and said, "Thanks, I don't know how I can ever repay such kindness, but I know how to start. I will try as hard as I can to establish more rights Goblins. Also, do you think it would be possible to transfer the money from the Potter vault to the Black vault, and rename the Black vault the Potter vault? It would be much easier than having two vaults. Perhaps one of the curse-breakers could cast an ever-expanding charm on it, so it will accommodate its contents."

The goblin with the green tie stepped forward and said, "I can see the wisdom in this request. Yes, this can be done, and will be immediately. Well, I think I speak for all of us when I say, it's been a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Potter, and hope you'll always call on us for your banking issues."

With that, the goblins turned and left, all except Griphook, who said, "I suppose you'll want to go down to your vault, Mr. Potter?" Harry just nodded, still trying to take in everything he had been told. They walked through the corridors to the track cars.

Harry got in, and prepared to depart. He had always liked these carts. He supposed they must be like a roller coaster, though he hade never been on one because of Dudley. One thrilling ride later, Harry and Griphook stopped outside a huge vault. Indeed, it was at least four times larger than Harry's old vault. (Which was saying something, because it was pretty big) Harry waited for Griphook to step forward and unlock the vault, but he didn't move. Before he could ask, Griphook said, "You'll need to unlock it yourself. Often it requires a statement, and can tell, legimency or not, whether it is true. So, go ahead."

Well, Harry was in a bit of a fix. He didn't know what he had to say, so on an impulse, he stepped forward and said, "I am Harry Potter, sole heir of Sirius Black." The vault's door glowed green for a moment, and then Harry heard a long series of clicks. A second later, the door unsealed itself, and fog came billowing out. When it cleared, Harry stepped forward and gasped.

There were mountains of gold, silver and bronze. There were jewels of every kind. Emeralds, rubies, sapphires, diamonds; they were all there. To the left, Harry saw books, hundreds of them. He walked over to them and started to walk down the vast cherry-wood shelves. Most of these books had had never seen on the Hogwarts library's list. In fact, several of these were on the Ministry's forbidden list. _Better keep this quiet_. He was sure the goblins would not betray him, but he wasn't sure about anyone else. A few caught his eye in particular, so he took them out and laid them on a table nearby. Some of the titles were _Methods of Magical Detection and Transportation, Ancient Spells for Uncommon Man, Transfiguration: The Works, Curses for the Vengeful, Shields for the Wary, Advanced Combat Training, Potions for the Powerful, _and_ the Powers of Merlin_.

He turned to Griphook and said, "Can I take anything other than gold out of the bag? I mean like books, and stuff." Griphook smiled again, and said, "Oh, yes, Mr. Potter. Anything in your vault is compatible with your bag. So, if it's in the vault, it's in the bag."

After a few more minutes of admiring the contents of the vault, Harry's eye was caught on one object in particular. It was a chest. Sure, he had seen other chests in here, but this one was covered with rubies, and bore a familiar crest. He turned to it, and walked forward. On it was the crest of the Marauders. As he approached, it glowed for a moment, and then opened. Inside, there was a strange, green pendant. It was hanging on a leather string. Next to it was a letter. Harry picked up the letter and began to read.

_Dear Harry,_

_If you're reading this, then I have died. I am truly sorry I have left you, but don't want you to mourn yourself to death over me. I mean, after all, if I hadn't died, who would've annoyed Lily in the afterlife? Got a job to do, ya know? Well, down to business. This pendant is extremely powerful. It has been passed down my family's line for centuries. I think it's called the Galator, but I'm not sure. Well, it belonged to Merlin at some point, so keep it with you. When you carry the Galator, you'll be carrying a bit of me with you. And about the manor in the Alps, just state that you are my heir, and you should have no problems. Hope you're okay. Well, I have to go annoy Remus. _

_Your Godfather,_

_Padfoot_

Harry quickly fought back the flow of tears that had rushed to his eyes, and hung the pendant around his neck. _Galator_. It sounded oddly familiar. Well, Harry decided it was time to go. He left Gringotts and was heading back toward the Leaky Cauldron when he saw Knockturn Alley in the corner of his eye. He had started to turn when he remembered the Order. Though Lupin had said Harry could go home alone, he would bet the entire contents of his new vault that there was an Order member nearby. He subtly searched the area for any sign of someone tailing him, and saw a blurred outline. _Illusionment charm_. He studied the outline more carefully, and recognized the profile. "You can come out now, Moody. I know you're there." Harry said with a smirk.

Moody suddenly appeared there. He looked visibly miffed. "How did you know it was me, boy?" Harry smirked again and said, "I could see your outline, and recognized your wooden leg." Moody glared at him with his mad eye and said, "Impressive, but I'd already had countless chances to hex you. I- Wipe that smirk off your face, or I'll do it for you!" With difficulty, Harry repressed his smirk and said, "So, you're just going to take me back?" Moody grunted. "Yep, and after I do, I'm leaving for a well earned drink. The next shift will be there five minutes after I leave. So, I heard you developed your metimorphmagus skills today. Pretty good. It'll make traveling with you in public a hell of a lot easier. Well, let's go." He offered Harry a portkey, who took it. Instantly he felt a jerk behind his navel, and felt himself being lifted off the ground. A split second later, Harry stumbled to his knees as he touched down in the Dursley's back yard. Moody, who had kept his balance, just smirked at Harry and said, "See ya later, Potter." And with that, he disappeared. Harry got up and walked upstairs. He looked at his calendar, and sighed. _One and a half months left. Unless…_ A sudden thought struck Harry. He would run. He packed up all of his stuff and dragged it to the curb outside. He stuck up his right hand and the Knight Bus appeared. He changed his appearance to match Dean Thomas' and jumped on. He just yelled, "Diagon Alley, GO!" And the bus sped off, leaving Privet Drive behind. Harry arrived at the Leaky Cauldron a few seconds later and got off. Looking at his watch, Harry saw that he still had three minutes. He ran down the street, leaving his trunk and stuff at the pub, and turned onto Knockturn Alley. He burst into a small shop and said to the shop owner, "I need the tracers and detection spells taken off of me. Can you do that?" The man, who was short and wheezy, leaned forward, eager to do business. "Why, of course, my young sir. But I must say, it is rather expensive." Harry took out the bag and took out a couple of handfuls of galleons, roughly 200. He looked up at the man and said, "Is this enough?" The man looked surprised, and just nodded. He took out a vial from beneath the counter and said, "Here, drink this. Then I'll need to do the spell."

Harry sniffed the potion. He knew enough about potions to know how to detect poisons. He couldn't detect any poison, so he drank the vial in one gulp. He instantly felt a burning feeling. It spread throughout his entire body, enveloping his senses. There was a strange noise in his ears. It was indescribable. Whatever it was, it was drowning out the words the owner was speaking. When the burning feeling stopped, Harry could feel the difference. He felt oddly light, like a weight had been taken off of his shoulders. He turned to the owner. "Did it work? Can I do magic now? And what about the tracers? Are they gone, too?" The owner chuckled slightly and said, "Yes, yes, they're all gone. Go ahead, give it a go." Harry picked up his wand and concentrated on the Elite Potions Ingredient Set and summoned it. Turning to the owner, he said, "How much for this?" It was, after all, an extremely good ingredient set. It had every thing you would need, including unicorn blood, dragon blood, mandrake leaves, phoenix feather, and countless more. The man grinned as if saying _Dream on_ and said, "Three thousand galleons." Harry took out his bag again and said, "I'll take it. Do you have anything other supreme items I could look at?" The man was, again, shocked. He pulled aside the counter and led Harry into the back room. Indeed, there were supreme items in here, though he would have to go by other places for some stuff. In the storeroom, there were a variety of rare items, of questionable legality. There was a time-turner, a set of dragon-hide dueling robes (which were surprisingly light considering the amount of protection they gave), a strange quill that was somewhat like a quick quotes quill (this one wrote down everything the speaker said), and what appeared to be two less powerful, versions of the Sorcerer's Stone, which meant they couldn't produce the elixir of life, but could turn normal metal into gold. These were surely illegal (And expensive), but Harry bought them anyway. He paid the man for all these premium items and used a shrinking charm, in combination with a featherweight charm, making his purchases easy to carry in his pocket. He left Knockturn Alley and turned to face Diagon Alley, wondering where to go next. He saw Madam Malkin's Robe Shop and decided to get some new robes.

He walked in and returned to his usual form, so she would chose robes that matched his true self. She came from behind the counter and asked, "How can I help you, young man?" Harry thought for a moment, and then said, "I need five black Hogwarts uniforms in Gryffindor colors, five pairs of casual robes (you can pick those out), and four pairs of dress robes. For the dress robes, I'd like to get something in green, with whatever trims you think would look good; Blue, with a silver trim; Red, with a gold trim; And one set of dress robes that look like the night sky. You know, purplish blackish, with stars. And a cape, with the crescent moon in the middle of it.

Madam Malkin was taken aback, but recovered and said, "Okay then, but it may take a while, like an hour. I'll take your measurements, and then you can sit down and read." Harry agreed, and had his measurements taken. After that, he pulled out his bag. Reaching into the bag, he concentrated on the book he wanted. He felt his hand close over the cover of it, and pulled out _Methods of Magical Detection and Transportation_ and began to read. He had completely finished reading up on apparating when Madam Malkin announced that she had finished. He followed her to her sewing room and inspected the robes. They were marvelous. Harry paid her and gave her a generous tip, because she had finished them so quickly. He then decided to buy as watch. He walked into the magical jewelry store and approached the desk. Clearing his throat, he spoke to the salesman. "Hello, I'm looking for a watch. Do you think I could see the best watch you have?" The salesperson led Harry toward the back and said, "This is where we keep of top watches. They are very expensive, but I assure you, well worth the price. This one here, which comes in Silver, Gold, or Platinum (the Platinum can change to a certain color), works at any depth, is weather resistant, tells the date, and changes time zones automatically. This watch is 500 galleons. Our next model has all the features of the previous one, plus it's magic resistant, has a built in compass, and has a sneakascope that you can turn off or on. It also comes in Gold, Silver, and Platinum. This watch is 700 galleons. Now, this is our finest watch. Only a handful of wizards in the world have this one. It has all the features I've mentioned so far, plus it has every dark detector known to wizardkind built in. Of course, they can be adjusted to pick up a certain degree of dark activity so trivial things like lies about homework don't set it off. It also comes in Gold, Silver, or Platinum. This elite watch is 1000 galleons." Harry picked up the last one and put it on, "I think I'll take this one. Here's the money." Harry handed him the thousand galleons and left the store.

Harry was trying to decide where to go next, when he saw the magical equipment shop. In the window he saw a trunk. _I could use a new trunk_. So Harry headed into the store. He wandered over to the trunk section and started to look for a really great one. The assistant came by and said, "Can I help you find something?" Harry nodded and said, "Yes, actually, I'm looking for a new trunk. Preferably a multi-compartment. Could you show me your best ones?" The assistant smiled and said, "Certainly, follow me please."

Harry followed the assistant through the store, stopping at a door. The assistant took out a key and unlocked it, and they went in. Inside were three of the most beautiful trunks Harry had ever seen. Again Harry was told the properties of the trunks. "First, this one is made of cedar, so it doesn't need to have a weathering charm placed on it. It has three compartments. One for your clothes and things, one for larger storage like chests, and one for animals or servants. The next trunk is made of cherry wood, and is a little more luxurious. In addition to the compartments previously mentioned, it has a potions lab. This includes a place to store ingredients. Our last, and best trunk was actually made custom order, but the family that ordered it disappeared, so it was put on sale. This trunk is made from a rare redwood, and has no less than eight compartments. The first one is just your typical trunk compartment, what one would expect from a trunk. The second one is for storing things like large packages. The third one is enchanted to take the form of the owner's desire. If you want to think by a waterfall, then the trunk will assume a waterfall climate. This is perfect for keeping animals. The fourth compartment is a detailed potions lab. It is equipped with every tool a potions expert could ask for, and will constantly refill most ingredients, except for the exceptionally rare. The fifth compartment is a training arena. This is equipped with test targets that can move like real people and duel with you. If, by some chance, you lose, the trunk will revive you. There are also tools there you can use, like weapons. If you need a target for a curse like the reductor curse, then the trunk will supply one instantly. The sixth room is a kitchen, incase you are hungry and have missed the meal. It has the self-cook option, but it's recommended that you upgrade that if you plan top use it, because the food isn't very good at first. In fact, you can program to fit a certain cooking style, like your own, and you can enjoy your cooking without cooking it yourself. The seventh room is a master bedroom. Upon entry, the trunk can read your feelings and tell what you need down to every last detail. The eighth room is a library. Have a book or document you don't want someone else to read? Put it in the restricted section of your library, and the trunk will deny everybody unless you willingly admit him or her. The trunk also has a built in time-turner function, meaning you can spend hours in there, and it will only be a few seconds or minutes. Of course, a trunk like this isn't going to be cheap. The last trunk costs 200,000 galleons."

Harry walked forward and studied the trunk. It was indeed made out of redwood, and had griffins carved along it in an intricate pattern. There was a small place to put your hand to unlock the trunk, but it had an anti-theft device that checked whether or not the owner wanted to access the trunk. Harry turned to the assistant and said, "I'll take it." The assistant just kinda chuckled a bit and said, "You're not…serious?" Harry smiled amusedly himself and said, "Why, yes, I am." The assistant's look of amusement vanished and was replaced by awe. "Well, I…I'll need a vault number, so we cam take the money from your vault." Harry smiled and, yet again, took out his velvet bag, saying, "No vault number will be necessary. I can get the gold from here." And with that, he began to take out handfuls of gold, until he had enough, including the tip. He purchased the trunk and put his hand on the circular mark. Instantly the markings on the trunks changed. There were still markings with griffins, but the large seal of the Marauders had appeared. The trunk was now locked to everyone but himself.

Harry shrunk the trunk and put it in his pocket. He walked outside and looked around again. He walked into Flourish and Blotts again and started to browse. He didn't see much, but he did buy a copy of _Powerful Charms_ and _The Beast Keeper's Guide to Magical Creatures_. Harry paid for the books and turned to leave. He turned again on second thought, and walked toward Gringotts. He walked past the marble pillars and headed toward the accounting office. He wandered around for a while before finally seeing the office of the head of accounting. He knocked on the door, and the goblin that had been wearing the red tie earlier opened the door. He looked up, surprised, and said, "Why, Mr. Potter! I was not expecting you. Is there a problem of some kind?" Harry shook his head and stepped into the office. "No, there's no problem. I'm actually here because I have something I would like to give Gringotts." He took out one of the stones he had bought in Knockturn Alley and placed it on the desk. "Do you know what this is?" The goblin shook his head. "Well, it'll be easier to describe if you see what it does first. Would you happen to have a knut with you?" The goblin nodded, and took one out of his pocket. He handed it to Harry, who brought it close to the stone. All at once the stone and coin glowed gold, before returning to their normal state, except for the knut, which had turned into solid gold. "This stone," Harry explained, "Has the power to turn any metal into solid gold. I thought perhaps Gringotts would appreciate it. I know you would use it wisely." The goblin just stuttered, struggling to find the words that would express his gratitude. "Mr. Potter, I don't know what to say! You have given us two invaluable things today. One was your advice, which is being followed as we speak. The second is this marvelous stone! I've never seen anything like it, except maybe the Sorcerer's Stone. This isn't…" he said, looking to Harry for an answer. Harry smiled and said, "Oh, no, this isn't a Sorcerer's Stone, but is closely related. It can't produce the elixir of life, but does have the gold effect."

The goblin just stared at the incredible stone for a moment, then said, "Mr. Potter, if you could follow me please." And with that, he headed out the door. Nonplussed, Harry followed. His curiosity was almost overwhelming, but he held in all his questions. The goblin led him to a large door, and went inside. Harry followed, and found himself, yet again, in the presence of the heads of departments. The goblin Harry had followed here, who was apparently named Vapak, cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the others. "Mr. Potter here has just given us an invaluable gift. Here's a demonstration." He took out the stone and turned the iron inkwell on the table into gold. The goblins all began to speak excitedly, and fell silent as one. They inspected the inkwell, making sure it was genuine. When they were done, they turned to Harry, beaming. They held a whispered conversation, and turned to speak to Harry. Vapak was chosen to speak, and did so by saying, "We appreciate your generous gift, Mr. Potter, but cannot accept it without giving you something in return. This is the best thing we have to offer." He pulled a golden necklace with a phoenix pendant at the bottom. "This necklace is enchanted, and will endow you with powers, depending on who you are. But it is guaranteed that you will be able to speak to animals. No other humans alive have ever had this power, except for Merlin and Godric Gryffindor. We are confident it will you will be able to unlock its powers. Try it on, try it on!"

Harry took the pendant, and put it around his neck. He could feel it bumping against the Galator. All at once, the phoenix necklace melted into his skin, leaving no trace. The goblins all smiled even more widely at this, and stepped forward to shake his hand. Harry was still confused. "Why did the necklace melt into my skin? Where is it?" Vapak spoke up again, saying, "The pendant has chosen you. It will only choose ones it deems worthy. If you are not judged worthy, then it keeps its powers from you. In the past, only Gryffindor has been successfully chosen. Now, I'm dreadfully sorry, but we need to make plans concerning the stone you gave us. Farwell, Harry Potter, and may you find happiness. Don't hesitate to come to us for any financial issue."

Harry left Gringotts, looking down at his watch. It was 5:45, and the sun was showing signs of setting. He walked back to the Leaky Cauldron, put his stuff in his new trunk, and summoned the Knight Bus. It appeared with a bang, and Harry got on. "Black Manor in the Alps, please." And the bus sped off, narrowly avoiding a motorcycle.

When the bus arrived outside the manor about an hour later, Harry got off and, turning to Stan the conductor and the driver Ernie, said, "Sorry guys, but I have to do this." Raising his wand, he cried, "Obliviate!" Stan and Ernie went blank for a moment before leaving without a word. Harry turned to face the manor, and inspected the outside. It had obviously been a while since anyone had used it, and he would need to do a little redecorating. He walked in through the front door, and found himself in a large corridor. Walked down, Harry saw guest bedrooms to the left and right. At the end was a ballroom. Nothing was spectacularly decorated, and Harry supposed he would have to do that. However, in the ballroom was a tapestry of the Black family tree. Harry looked more closely, and saw a small golden plaque directly beneath the name Sirius Black. He took out his warned and inscribed his name. All at once, the house around him began to change. The walls changed from the ominous green to red and gold. Some rooms had different wall colors, but the ballroom and several guestrooms had red and gold. To the right of the ballroom was the kitchen, which had every sort of cooking tool and ingredient imaginable. Moving through the kitchen, he saw the dining room through a door straight ahead. There was a hallway leading from the dining room to the ballroom. Going back to the ballroom, Harry saw a set of stairs. There were some going up to the next level, and some going down to the basement. Going down to the basement, Harry saw a potions laboratory to his left, filled with measuring devices and copies of every ingredient Harry owned. There were also several recipe books. To his right was an immense storeroom/ bunker. At the far end of the basement, Harry went through a door that led into what looked like a zoo. There were tons of cages with magical animals in them. The animals all appeared to be in cages that supported the animals preferred climate. Harry saw hippogriffs, giant spider, a sphinx, and dozens of others. There was even an aquarium with things like grindelows. Going up stairs, Harry continued to the second floor. There was another hallway, though shorter. There were more bedrooms, plus a meeting room and a library. It was strange, but like the laboratory, the library had every book Harry did, plus a few more. The house must have done this when he had put his name on the tapestry. It had several couches and chairs, plus rich rosewood tables. The shelves were made to match. Harry found a spiral staircase at the end of the hallway and went upstairs. There were only two rooms, plus another a spiral staircase going up to an astronomy tower. The rooms were both huge. Harry walked into the right room and gasped. It was a quidditch pitch. Along the wall, Harry could see different brooms, outfits, and gear. There was also set of quidditch balls. There was even an environmental control system so you could train in any weather. Leaving this room, Harry visited the left room, and was equally shocked. It was a giant training arena. Like his trunk, this room had a climate control spell, and like the quidditch pitch, had a weather control spell. There was a strange, glowing wall to the left. Harry experimented by shooting a few sparks at it. The sparks shot back at him, going much faster than he had made them. He ducked and tried the same thing with a disarming charm. It too shot back him at an eye-blinking speed. Due more to luck than skill, Harry was able to dodge it, and vowed to work with this thing. Harry went back to the second floor and found a bedroom that was larger than any of the others. _This must be the master bedroom_. Harry thought. It was, after all, bigger than the rest, and was at the end of the hallway. He walked in and looked around. It had gold walls and a red carpet. At the far side was an enormous king sized bed. To the right was a fireplace. In front of it was a black couch. To the left was a doorway leading to a huge bathroom. He walked through the door and gazed around. This bathroom clearly put the prefects' bathroom at Hogwarts to shame. It had a tub that looked like a pool, an enormous shower in the corner of the far wall, and a sink with giant mirror and cosmetics cabinet. There were hundreds of taps, all of different sizes. There was a whole row of shampoos and conditioners. The floor was tiled, and there was a portrait of beach on one of the walls. Heading back into the master bedroom, he noticed that he ceiling was enchanted to look like the sky. He wondered if any other rooms had this feature. But he would have to wait to find out, because he was tired, and he wanted to sleep. He crawled into the bed and fell asleep almost instantly.


	2. Chapter 2:OF Scores and Species

Harry awoke the next morning feeling thoroughly refreshed. He had slept better than he had ever before. He glanced at his fancy watch and saw that it was already 10:30 A.M. He had to get up! Scrambling out of bed, Harry walked to the bathroom and took a bath. The he went downstairs to the kitchen, wondering what to eat for breakfast. When he got there, he decided since it was already so late, he would just wait until lunch. Harry sat down, wondering what to do today. There was so much that had to be done! First he decided to take a look at the outside of the house.

He left the kitchen and went outside. He looked around and sighed. He had a lot of work to do. The grass was either dead or dying, and the yard had no decoration whatsoever. First, he performed a fertilization charm. It caused the mountain soil to become extremely rich, able to support plants in the difficult conditions of the Alps. Then he transfigured the topmost layer of soil into a lush grass that covered the entire yard, except for a walkway. He looked around. That was better, but it definitely was lacking some decoration. He took the remnants of the granite pillars that had once been there and managed to produce four large granite blocks. He then used a series of reductor spells to carve them into a stag, a dog, a werewolf, and a rat. There were life size, and the rat was on top of a pillar. He decided granite didn't look very good, so he transfigured it into marble. He raided the storeroom in the basement to see if there was any more. There was, so he levitated it to the yard. He made a couple of marble fountains on either side of the walkway. He transfigured all the dead trees he could find into living ones of different variety. These were scattered throughout the yard, and added a nice touch. Harry noticed a large silver shape above the door. Upon further inspection, it proved to be the Black family crest. Harry quickly transfigured it into the Marauder's crest, and put a silver plaque above it that read _Marauder's Manor_. It was only fair that he named it that, as a lasting tribute to the Hogwarts four. He surveyed his handy-work, his eye resting on the statue of the rat. He hated Wormtail, but everyone deserved a second chance. _Everything has the ability to change_. Odd. That phrase had come into his mind without his meaning to, but it felt familiar. Harry dismissed it, and turned from the rat's statue with one last thought. _If he can't change, then the rat is who he was, not who he is_. Harry went back inside, glancing at his watch. It was 12:00, and he was starving. He walked to the kitchen and looked around. There was a book on the counter, but it was blank. He looked at the cover, and it said _Styles_. This must be that different styles thing, like the trunk. Harry just wrote down _Hogwarts_. The book glowed briefly, and stopped. When Harry said, "Wish I could have some chicken pot pie, the counter became a flurry of activity. Knives began chopping ingredients and placing them in a pie. The completed pie flew into the oven, where it backed for about a minute before zooming out, piping hot. When it had cooled slightly, Harry tried some. It tasted just like the food at Hogwarts. _I could get used to this_. He ate his lunch while reading one of his books, _Powerful Charms_, and began to research the Fideleus Charm. People were sure to be looking for him, and he needed to be safe. He got to thinking about letters, and wondered were Hedwig, his owl, was. He finished his lunch and began to search for her. He checked the zoo, and found her perched next to…

Harry gasped. He couldn't believe there was one of those here. They were probably the rarest birds alive. It was a phoenix, with a golden red plumage. It trilled warily as Harry entered, and Harry wondered what to do. Then he remembered the pendant the goblins had given him. He decided to have a go. He cleared his voice nervously and said, "Er, hello there. My name's Harry. I'm sorry I intruded, but I was looking for my owl, Hedwig and I saw her in here." The phoenix gave another trill, this time of surprise. It wasn't speaking English, but the words appeared in his mind. _You can talk to me? That is rare. Yes, Hedwig has told me much about you. My name is Hohn. It is a pleasure to meet you, Harry._ Harry spoke again, this time aware that he was making the same trilling noise as Hohn. "I still can't believe you're here. How long have you been in this cage?" Hohn let out a sad note. _200 years_. Harry almost fell back in shock. "TWO HUNDRED YEARS! Who left you in here that long?" Hohn gave another sad note. _The last person who was at this manor. I don't know what his was, though._ Harry unlocked the cage and held the door open. "Go ahead, you're free to go wherever you want. You deserve the chance to stretch your wings." The phoenix took off, but instead of leaving, landed on Harry's shoulder. _I will stay with you. You have a genuine care for creatures that is uncommon in most humans. Is this okay?_ Harry nodded immediately and said, "Of course you can stay. But I'll view you more as a friend than as a pet." Hohn trilled happily and started to sing. Phoenix song. It was the most wonderful thing Harry had ever heard. He knew it gave hope where there was none. Hedwig flew over onto his other shoulder, hooting happily. Harry gave a little trill to Hohn. "Who else do you think could use the chance to stretch their legs, wings, whatever?" Hohn led Harry through the zoo to a cage.

There was yet another extremely rare creature. It was a griffin. He had the bronze body of a lion and the white feather of a dove. Harry could see a dangerous looking beak on his face curved and yellow. He didn't enter the pen like he had with Hohn. Griffins could be extremely dangerous enemies, and Harry didn't fancy being on the wring side of that beak. He gave a cough to get its attention, and spoke. "Hello. My name is Harry Potter. I just wanted to see how you're doing." The griffin gave an incredulous snort. _Okay, you ask how I'm doing. So you can speak my language. Impressive. But how do you think I'm doing after being locked in a cage for 300 years?_ Harry was shocked again, but did a little better at maintaining his cool. Striding forward, 'he unlocked the cage. "Well then, I think it's about time you got out of there." The griffin was visibly surprised. _You would let a creature as dangerous as a griffin out without any protection? You're either brave, or stupid._ Harry grinned. "It's a little bit of both, really." The griffin gave another snort, this time of laughter. _I am very hungry. I need meat._ Harry just smiled again and said, "Well follow me to the kitchen and we can fix that. Or would you rather hunt for your food?" The griffin considered the options briefly before replying._ I haven't been outside, much less hunted in 300 years. I may be rusty. I'll work on regaining my hunting skills later._ Harry nodded and said, "The kitchen it is, then."

And with that, Harry led him to the kitchen as quickly as he could to the kitchen, for it is not wise to keep a hungry griffin waiting. He just asked the kitchen for a raw ox and let the griffin go to work. While the griffin was eating, Harry asked Hohn if he wanted something to eat. Hohn gave little trill. _Well, being a phoenix, I can't eat anything other than herbs. If I could get some of those, tat would be great. _Harry again asked the kitchen for the request, and it supplied.

When they had both finished the meal, Harry led them outside. As they were walking, Harry asked the griffin, "What's your name, if you don't mind me asking?" The griffin let out a growl. _My name is Godric_ (author's note: Give me a break, I couldn't think up anything else) Harry stored this information and said, "Thanks for telling me. I appreciate your trust."

A moment later they had reached the front door. They went outside, and Hohn and Godric both were ecstatic. Hohn flew happily about, while Godric followed him on foot, stretching out his legs. When he was done, he leapt up into the air, unfurling his great wings. He soared upward, clearly enjoying his new freedom. Harry concentrated on his broom and summoned it. He mounted and took off; reveling in the familiar feeling that flying gave him. He sped up until he was flying along side them both. He called out to them both, "Race ya to the far mountain." And sped up, leaving them behind. He thought it was in the bag, but he hadn't counted on Godric's speed. It was unbelievable. Harry lost to Godric, but beat Hohn. It was probably better this way, as griffins are very sore losers. (Ouch) They flew back the Marauder's Manor at a leisurely pace and landed. As they did, Harry turned to Godric. "Godric, you're free to go wherever your heart desires. I cannot keep you here." Godric paced walked back and forth, trying to decide. After a while, he spoke. _I will stay with you. Hohn seems to be loyal to you, and a phoenix's trust is not given idly. I wish to stay._ Harry smiled again and said, "Then you are welcome here for as long as you please. I'm sure there is much you can tell me about nature." Godric let out a laugh. Harry laughed too, and then said, "Well, we still have all afternoon. Let's go look around the mountains."

Hohn and Godric agreed, so off they went. It was fun, and they could get to highest peaks in no time with their ability to fly. Harry was enjoying flying again, when he saw a mountain taller than the rest. He started to fly towards it, and landed on the peak. He was about to take off again when a movement on a large ledge caught his eye. He glided toward it, unsure what it was. His eyes fell on a very strange scene. There was a basilisk, a fully-grown basilisk attacking something. Harry looked at the thing it was attacking and found yet another surprise. It was a tiger. Not a jungle tiger, with orange and brown stripes, but a white tiger. Its coat was white with black stripes. Its blue eyes were shut tightly, as if it knew of the basilisk's deadly eyes.

Harry dismounted, running toward the basilisk. Something had to be done. If the basilisk was not destroyed, then it might begin to prey on muggles. As he ran, Harry gave a shout, "Godric! Hohn! To me! Hurry, our lives are at stake!" They phoenix and griffin turned as one and saw the basilisk. Hohn gave a squawk of anger and darted forward. It was common knowledge that basilisks and phoenixes were mortal enemies. Godric swooped underneath Harry, lifting him up into the air. Harry surveyed the scene for a brief second. Hohn was attempting to scratch out the basilisk's eyes. Harry looked at the tiger, and saw why it had not run. His family was there, the children cowering behind a dead female. The tiger's mate had already been killed. The basilisk turned to the tiger family, not willing to lose its prey. He lashed forward before the father could do anything to stop him and killed another of the children. There was only one left.

Hatred swelled inside Harry. The evil snake had just killed a cub! It had been defenseless. This was the way of Voldemort. Harry's hatred multiplied at the thought of his enemy. He raised his wand, channeling his hatred at the snake and cried, "Avada Kedrava!" A blast of green light soared out of his wand and hit the snake. It went limp immediately. Harry was surprised. He couldn't believe he had just performed the killing curse. He knew it required power, but he didn't know he had what it takes. Then he thought about the rush of hatred. He must learn to control that, or he might do something he would live to regret. He promised himself he would master legllimency, so he would be able to control his emotions.

Harry was brought out of his musings by Godric landing. He had landed about fifteen feet away from the tiger, who turned and regarded them warily. Harry could tell he was too drained from his fight with the basilisk. Upon looking harder, Harry saw a puncture mark on his right leg. He gave trill to Hohn, and the phoenix landed on his arm. He walked forward at a slow pace so as to not startle the animal. The tiger tried to get up, but couldn't. The snake's venom was starting to take its toll. Harry let Hohn fly off his arm, trilling a quick request. Hohn trilled back, and landed by the tiger's leg. It tried to bite, but was too weak. Hohn placed his head above the wound and a small teardrop fell from his eye. The effect was instantaneous. The cut began to heal, and the tiger became stronger. He checked on his cub, and strode forward. He growled at Harry, and Harry could again understand him. _Thank you for saving me, young sorcerer. I am torn between gratitude and sadness at your arrival. If only you had arrived a little earlier, the Jade wouldn't have… Well, it appears that my remaining cub and I must find a new place to live. I don't suppose you know of a good place?_ Harry let out a growl, saying, "I have a room in my house that can suit whatever environment you wish for. You are welcome to live there, if you wish." The tiger considered this and growled. _I will look at it. I don't know if you know, but I am an escaped experiment, and have been hiding here ever since. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical creatures has not looked here yet because of the basilisk. Now there is no reason for them to not look here. You see, they were trying to create a less deadly nundu. I am the result. I am more intelligent, but have my own special powers. I can run as fast as you can fly, I am not affected by most spells like the stunning charm, and can create ice easily._ As if giving a demonstration, he seemed to sigh. Instantly a tree to his right was incased in a block of ice.

Harry smiled at this. "I'm sure you would enjoy living at the manor, and promise not to breathe a word about what you are to anyone." The tiger gave a purr. _Thank you. My name is Silver. They named me this because of my unique coat, and I rather like the name. You should know that, because of the race I come from, I still have a few of their traditions. One of these is a lifedebt. When someone saves the life of another, that person must follow his/her savior until the debt is repaid. I must follow you until I have saved your life as you have saved mine._ Harry registered this before saying, "Thank you for your devotion, but I release you. It is your choice. You choose whether to stay or go." _Then I choose to stay. I will remain by your side for as long as I am able._ Harry saw the determined look in his eye, and realized that the tiger's mind was set. "Okay Silver, glad to have you aboard. This is Godric." He pointed at the griffin, which gave a short call. _Nice to meet ya._ "And this is Hohn." Harry pointed at Hohn, who gave a trill of greeting. _It is a pleasure to meet you._ Harry led them all up to the third floor, and showed them the training room. They stopped and tried to decide what climate they wanted. They all finally agreed on rainforest with waterfall. The training room obliged, and a steamy rainforest appeared a moment later. Everything was covered in mist from the waterfall, and Harry could hear the noise it caused.

He left the animals to their own devices, and headed straight for the library. There was a lot of researching to be done. He remembered he still had some homework to do, but with Voldemort, Dumbledore, and the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures looking, he would have to do a better job of hiding. He picked up _Powerful Charms_ and began to read up on the Fideleus Charm again. He learned the wand motions and words, and new the theory, but he was still stuck at one point. Who was going to be his secret keeper? A sudden idea struck him, and he ran up to the training room.

"Hohn, I need your help." Hohn stopped sunning himself on a rock and flew over, giving him an inquisitive trill. _With what?_ "I'm worried about some one finding us here, so I need to do a Fideleus Charm. It requires a secret keeper. I know phoenixes are extremely loyal, and trust you completely. Would you be the secret keeper?" Hohn puffed himself up proudly and let forth a burst of song. "I'll take that as a yes, then." Hohn sat on the back of a chair and waited. Harry followed the hand motions in the book and said the incantation. He pointed his wand at Hohn and some mysterious runes appeared on his forehead. They stayed there for a second, and then faded. He felt a strange wind blow through the house. He had done it. He had done the Fideleus Charm. His wonder was cut off abruptly as his stomach growled at him. Chow time. Harry went down to the kitchen and, instead of choosing Hogwarts, wrote in _Italian_. The kitchen went to work once more, and prepared him an Italian dinner. When he was done, he went back up to the library. Having finished the Fideleus Charm, he needed a new goal. He picked up _Potion for the Powerful_ and began to read. He actually found a potion that he really wanted to make. It was supposed to enhance the growth process, so it would speed up. It was supposed to work one night, that way the drinker could wake up all muscular. He/her would also grow taller. Harry created this potion, and took a dose. Then he took out _Potions for the Powerful_ again and started reading up on the more difficult potions that Snape was going to make them brew. He finished the book in about three hours, and decided to hit the hay. He went upstairs, and found several letters on his bed. Two of them were from Hogwarts, a total of four from various Weasleys, and a few from different Order members. He opened the letters from the Order members first. It was the usual. Some were angry with him for running, others were concerned, some had offers for him to come stay with them, but all asked where he was. He smirked, moving onto the letters from the Weasleys, reading them.

_Dear Harry, _

How could you run away like that! Arthur and I have been worried sick! Where are you? If you wanted to leave the Dursleys that badly, then why didn't you come to us? Please, Harry dear, just come back. Mrs. Weasley

Harry moved onto Ginny's letter.

_Dear Harry,_

_So you ran away, huh? If this is your idea with coping with Sirius' death, then it sure is lousy. Running from your problems won't get you anywhere. You need to come back. Everybody is worried sick about you. Please write and tell us what's going on. Ginny_

Harry thought this over. _So, they think I ran so I could cope with Sirius. Well, I guess there's some truth to that. It has helped me cope. But that's not the main point._ Harry sighed and moved on to Ron's letter.

_Harry,_

_Can't believe you ran away! Everyone is in a right state! Mum's frantic! Me, I don't know how you managed to get away with it. Dumbledore's tracking spells on you didn't respond, and the Knight Bus said they hadn't seen you. How'd you get to wherever you are now? Broomstick? Well, Hermione's here, and she's almost as nutty as Mum! She's really worried. Think you could fill us in a little? Ron_

Harry sighed and put the letter down. There were going to be problems when found out everything, IF Ron found out everything. Harry had been thinking about this for some time. Everyone that was close to him had been harmed in the wake of his destiny. His parents, his friends, Sirius… _WHY? WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME! WHY MUST MY FRIENDS GET HURT BECAUSE OF ME! Well, it will never happen again. From this point on, Harry Potter stands alone. When this threat is no more, I will become closer to them again. Until then, I stand alone._

Deciding to skip the twins' letter, Harry moved on to the letters from Hogwarts. Harry was sure one of them was from Dumbledore. He reached for the first one, and recognized Dumbledore's curly handwriting.

_Dear Harry,_

What were you thinking, running away from your aunt's house like that! You should have known better! Voldemort's been waiting for something like this to happen! Do you know how hard he's trying to find you! I am extremely disappointed. I really thought you were smarter than this. I demand that you come back to Headquarters immediately. The other members are up in arms over this, but I'm sure they will forgive you if you come back right away. You must tell me where you are, and how you avoided my tracking spells. Albus Dumbledore

Harry almost burst out laughing. Dumbledore expected him to come back! Harry's laughter finally won, and he just rolled around on the floor. Pulling himself together, he took a piece of parchment and began to write a response.

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

I am sorry, but I will not come back. I will be back at the end of the summer holidays. As far as my safety goes, I am safer here than I ever have been. I have successfully performed the Fideleus Charm, and have made the secret keeper a friend who is very close to me. (Literally and figuratively) I won't tell you who it is, but I will say this. Tell Fawkes I found him a friend. Do not worry about me. I am fine, and have begun putting the various books that were in the Black vault. I will see you at the feast. My best regards, Harry

Dumbledore looked up, having just read Harry's letter. He stroked Fawkes absentmindedly, pondering. Fawkes cooed softly, and Dumbledore smiled. "Well, it seems Harry has found you a friend. I can only assume that means he has found a phoenix. Incredible. From what his letter said, I guess he's made his phoenix his secret keeper. A very smart move, though it conflicts what I requested of him." Dumbledore picked up his quill, and began to write to Harry.

Having sent his letter to Professor Dumbledore, Harry picked up the other letter from Hogwarts and opened it. _Ah, my O.W.L. scores. I had nearly forgotten._ He took the letter and turned it upside down. Four things fell out of it. There were two letters, a golden quidditch captain badge, and a phoenix shaped badge. It was red and gold, much like a phoenix, and on it were the initials of S.P. Perplexed, Harry read his scores.

O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Levels)

_Name: Harry Potter_

_House: Gryffindor_

_Charms: Theory-O Practical-O Overall-O Total O.W.L.s-4 _

_Transfiguration: Theory-O Practical-O Overall-O Total O.W.L.s-4_

_Potions: Theory-O Practical-E Overall-O Total O.W.L.s -3_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts: Theory-O Practical-AB Overall-AB Total O.W.L.s-6_

_Herbology: Practical-E Total O.W.L.s-2_

_History of Magic: Theory-E Total O.W.L.s-2 _

_Astronomy: Theory-O Practical-E Overall-O Total O.W.L.s-3_

_Divination: Practical-P Total O.W.L.s-0_

_Total O.W.L.s-24_

_ AB means Above and Beyond(This grade is unknown until given, and only two students have ever received it; Albus Dumbledore and yourself.)_

_ Professor Dumbledore explained Situation. We are sorry for your loss and gave you the grade based on your test scores from the class. _

Obvious disruption. All students in the class with the disruption were marked up a grade.

Harry was ecstatic. He had received twenty-four O.W.L.s! He couldn't believe he had gotten that high on the Defense Against the Dark Arts. He also thought he had gotten off easy on Potions, History of Magic, and Astronomy. He didn't care about Divination. He had wanted to drop that class anyway. He picked up the second letter and began to read.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_You have been awarded the rank of Quidditch Captain. I can't think of a better candidate then you. You will have to have tryouts, and will be in charge of scheduling team practices. Also, there was another badge in the envelope. This is a very rare award. S.P. stands for Supreme Prefect. You will have all the authority of Head Boy, but will not have to patrol some nights like the regular prefects. You answer to me, and you answer to Professor Dumbledore. The other teachers may not tell you what to do, and you may not tell them what to do. You will not have to follow the curfew line. I warn you though, Potter, this is a huge privilege. Do not abuse your power, or the privilege will be taken away. Professor McGonagall_

Harry finished reading the letter and looked at the phoenix badge. He put it next to his Quidditch Captain badge, pondering this newfound glory. He didn't really need it. He still would enjoy having some authority. Harry got up, deciding to read some more. He found _Potions for the Powerful_, and continued to read. He was already half way done with this book. He read another 25 pages, then stopped. It had been a long day, and he was tired. He laid down and fell asleep almost instantly.


	3. Chapter 3: Of Potions and Pets

Author's Note: Thank you to all the people who gave good reviews. As for others, I appreciate your reviews, but try to make them a little better thought out instead of saying, "Want more" Well, anyway, read and review. Ferretfriend

I especially want to thank a few of the better reviewers.

To Heather( ), the Galator will play a larger roll later in the story. School will be very interesting.

To David 305, you raised some very valid points. Here are a few answers. Let's assume the Black Manor is close to the France/Sweden border. Will be important later in chapter. As to the Knight Bus, true, Ernie and Stan wouldn't know where to go. My idea is that the bus itself has knowledge of all these things, and helps the driver out a little when required. Third, I guess I forgot to mention this, but the cages have a life support spell. It conjures the needed food. Don't forget, a lot of animals like Hohn and Godric have been there even longer. Thanks for your advice on the run-on paragraph. I'll try to break it up a little more.

To HeWhoComesWithTheDawn, I admit, it will be difficult to deal with the friend situation, but I have an idea. Won't say anymore here.

Well, on with the show!

Harry Potter awoke from his slumber, wondering what he was going to do today. There was still so much to do, he just needed to decide what on the order. As he was walking downstairs to the kitchen, Hohn, his phoenix landed on his shoulder. "Hello Hohn. Did you sleep well?" Hohn gave a little chirp. _Yes, I did. It's much better in the training room than in that awful cage._ Harry laughed. "I'm glad you like the change. By the way, have you seen Hedwig?" The phoenix gave a concerned note. _No, I haven't. I think she's in the basement._ Harry changed direction slightly. "Well, let's go find her. I'm sure she's hungry.

They made their way down to the basement, and walked through the door. They wandered through the cages, looking for Hedwig. When they turned a corner, a grisly sight met their eyes. There was Hedwig, but she was being suffocated by… But… it couldn't be… They didn't live in places like this. How did it get here?

It was a lethifold. Looking much like a billowing black cape, it had covered Hedwig's mouth and was suffocating her. Harry gave a roar of anger and whipped his wand out. He tried a stunning spell. Nothing happened. He tried a disarming charm. This made the lethifold drop Hedwig, who didn't move. Harry saw his owl lying there, not moving, and his hatred began to swell to the surface. He kept it in check, but it was difficult. He wondered how to contain it. He knew the Patronus Charm would drive it away, but he wanted it contained or destroyed. Before he had decided what to do, Hohn had shot at it like an arrow. The phoenix's beak plunged into the creature, which began to bleed. Harry was worried. Would the phoenix prevail? He didn't dare use magic, afraid he might hit Hohn, but instead focused his thoughts on his feelings when he had read his O.W.L.s, and yelled, "EXPECTO PATRUM!" A giant white stag shot out of his wand, charging toward the lethifold. Caught unawares, the lethifold was defenseless. It was thrown against the wall, and was dazed for a few seconds. That was all Hohn needed. Finding the heart, Hohn drove his curved beak into it. The lethifold shuddered, and fell still. The black cape dissolved, leaving nothing.

Harry walked over to the limp form of Hedwig. She wasn't moving, and Harry didn't need to check the pulse. She was dead. Harry felt a sob escape his throat. She was gone. Hohn landed on his shoulder and sang a mournful dirge. Harry bent forward, picking up Hedwig. He carried her upstairs to the front yard, and lay her down. Transfiguring large rock, he turned it into a small coffin. He placed his owl in the coffin and closed the lid. He buried the coffin there, and transfigured another rock into a marble statue of Hedwig. He placed this on a marble pillar that had a marvelous plaque on it. The statue was mostly white marble, but the plaque was black. The white words upon it said _In Honor Of The Brave Owl, Hedwig, Who Died on July 9, 2004. She Will Live On In The Hearts Of Those Who Knew Her._ Harry gazed at the statue for about a minute, before tearing away. He walked back inside and went down to the basement. There he searched for the place where the lethifold had stayed. He saw a climate-controlled cage, and glanced inside of it. It was that of a tropical beach. He glanced at one of the trees and saw another lethifold. The escaped lethifold must have live here. _But how did it escape?_ Harry looked around, and saw that the side of the cage had a hole in the magical barrier. The typical magic cage had iron bars, with magical barriers in between them. He sealed the hole back up, and reinforced the barrier. With that, he turned to leave. Lethifolds sometimes gave valuable potions materials, so he would keep them alive. He suspected that was their original purpose anyway.

He went back upstairs, where he found Hohn telling Godric, the news. The griffin gave an unhappy cry. Harry looked around the kitchen and saw Silver, the magical white tiger looking equally sad. He sighed and toyed with his food. Harry sat down and said to the all in general, "Friends, I'm dreadfully sorry that this has happened. We all miss Hedwig, but in a way, she's not really gone. My parents are dead, but I can still feel them with me. Hedwig will continue to live in our hearts, but wouldn't want us to mourn like this. She would want us to keep on living life, making most out of the time we've got, as Hedwig did before she was killed. Life goes on. Death is a natural part of living. I think Hohn can vouch." He turned to the phoenix. Hohn gave a song, lifting the spirits of everyone dramatically. _Harry's right. I've died and been reborn before, and it is very natural. Suffocating is not the worst way to die. Hedwig died in relatively easy way. She didn't suffer, and is happier now than she ever had been. _He gave another burst of song, and everyone was considerably happier. They all ate their breakfast, discussing what they would do today. Harry decided he would make some of the potions in the book he had read. He walked down to the potion laboratory and pulled out his book. Opening it up, he read about veritiserum. It normally took about a month to brew, but this book showed an alternate recipe that would only take a day. Harry decided he could use some stores of veritiserum.

He filled the two huge cauldrons he had found there with water. He walked over to his ingredient shelf and took down what he would need. This potion needed some very rare ingredients. He took out the ingredients he had, but he was stilling missing one.

"Hohn! Hohn, could you come down here?" he shouted upstairs. He was rewarded with the phoenix soaring down the steps. _What is it?_ Harry grinned and said, "Do you think I could have a couple of feathers? I'm making a potion, and it requires phoenix feathers. Hohn nodded and took off. As he flew away, two feathers drifted down on top of Harry's book. He cut them up into the right sizes and put them into the cauldron along with the other ingredients. It was complicated, and had to be stirred a certain way, or it would kill off the person you were trying to interrogate. After about an hour of precise stirring and heat adjustment, he reached the simmer phase. The potion would now have to simmer for eight hours and seventeen minutes. He sat down in a large armchair and summoned one of his other books. This one was _Transfiguration: The Works_. He flipped it open and began to read on more advanced transfiguration. He learned to transfigure things like other humans. He tried to transfigure the chair into a lion, but only made a kitten. He worked on transfiguring the chair into different animals until he had it down cold. He moved on by transfiguring the chair into a human, and then transfigured it again so he could practice human transfiguration.

He was just getting into the chapter involving the transfiguration of air, or conjuring, when his stomach growled loudly at him. He raised his wand and said, "Accio sandwich!" A sandwich zoomed down from the kitchen, followed by an angry Hohn. He clicked his beak at Harry, snatching the sandwich. He put it in his beak, and flew away, tail feathers held high. He looked quite ridiculous, with a drooping sandwich in his beak. Harry just summoned a different sandwich, and ate while he read more on conjuring.

Harry had finished the chapter on conjuring, but decided the wait until later to try it out. He searched around for something to do while the potion simmered. It still had another four hours to go. Harry's eye fell onto another cauldron in the corner, and he decided to try his hand at making new potions.

He set up the cauldron a good fifteen feet away from his simmering veritiserum. If the cauldron exploded, he would need to protect the potion. He filled it with some water, starting another magical fire underneath. It burst to life, leaping up around bottom of the cauldron. He took out his potion ingredients, trying to decide what the purpose of this potion would be. He spotted a cluster of vials. They held some sort of blood in them, and were each labeled with a small tab that read _Re'em blood. Gives drinker immense strength._

Harry pondered this. The re'em's blood gave the drinker intense strength, true, but the effects were only temporary. If he could find some way to make the effects permanent, he would be able to overcome many obstacles. He took a vial of the blood and put it in his pile of ingredients. There were several powerful ingredients. The re'em blood would obviously give the strength. He had powered unicorn horn to keep the potion's effect alive. He had a few other ingredients, but Harry felt these were the most crucial. With that, Harry began to make the potion.

As he measured out some powered unicorn horn, Harry looked down. His previous potion had worked spectacularly. He had grown huge muscles, and was now six two. He was strong, yes, but not strong enough. He would need to be perfect if he wanted to defeat Voldemort. He tipped the unicorn horn in, and watched the result. The potion bubbled furiously, and began to hiss. He added some boomslang skin, and the whole lot blew up in his face. Harry coughed, waiting for the smoke to clear. _Okay, no boomslang skin. Better try again._

Harry tried different mixes of ingredients, most with the same result: singed eyebrows. After about seven tries, the potion finally didn't explode. _Interesting combination. Re'em blood, unicorn horn, and phoenix feather. Who would have thought of that?_ The potion was now a golden color, and smelled oddly pleasant. Harry supposed the phoenix feather gave it a better taste. He scooped some up in a goblet, and took a sip. Instantly, he felt a warmth spreading through his body, and saw his skin expand slightly. He flexed, and was amazed at the result. He was ripped! His muscles had all grown even larger, and he had a nice six-pack. _Oh boy, chick magnet._ He was happy he was strong, but groaned at the unwanted attention he'd be getting from the girls at Hogwarts.

He checked on his veritiserum, and found that it was almost done. He picked up his transfiguration book and began to study more on conjuring. Picking up his wand, he tried it out. He started small, trying to conjure things like needles and feathers. After that, he moved onto books and small cauldrons. It was pretty easy so far, so Harry went further still. He concentrated and conjured up a chair. It was a little wobbly, but it would work. Working on perfecting his chair, he tried over and over until he had produced a comfortable armchair. Transfiguring it back into air, he moved on. By the time his veritiserum was ready, Harry had successfully conjured a giant fountain. He quickly vanished it and hurried over to his potion. Taking it off the heat, he bottled some.

He labeled it, and began to go upstairs. Looking down at his watch, he saw that it was 9:00. He was tired, but wanted to eat before he went to bed. He walked up to the kitchen and ate the roasted chicken it supplied him with. He went back upstairs and got into bed. He lay down and tried to go to sleep, but he kept tossing and turning. He tried for about an hour before getting back up, abandoning the thought of sleep soon. He decided a nice flight would help. He retrieved his broom and went outside. He mounted his broom and kicked off, flying around. There was a full moon, and Harry could see for the most part. It was still dark, though.

After about thirty minutes of flying, Harry turned to go back, nut a sudden light caught his eye. It was a brilliant blue light, but he didn't see where it had come from. Harry hovered there for another minute before he saw it again. This time, he recognized it as a flame just as a roar sounded.

_Dragons_. Harry flew a little closer, not wanting to make his presence known. He heard another roar, but it didn't sound like the typical dragon's call. It sounded…afraid. Harry poked his head over the ridge of the mountain, and gasped at the sight.

It was indeed a dragon, a Swedish Short Snout. It was a beautiful silvery blue, and had large golden eyes. Harry looked around at the scene. Again his rage began to rise. Death Eaters. The servants of Voldemort were attacking this magnificent animal. He looked behind the dragon, wondering why it had flown away, and saw a small dragon. It couldn't have been more than six months old. It too was a silvery blue, with equally golden eyes. Harry calmed his anger slightly, and prepared himself. It wasn't the smart thing to do, but it was the right choice.

Taking out his wand, he jumped off his broomstick. A death eater turned, seeing him land, but before he could say anything, he was incinerated by the dragon's fire. The dragon turned to Harry, who quickly hissed at it. "I'm a friend. I'm here to help you." The dragon didn't seem entirely sure, but was convinced for the most part when Harry stunned a Death Eater. The dragon let loose another blast of fire, but missed its target. Harry saw the Death Eater above it only too late.

"Look out!" The dragon looked up just in time to see the green light hit it. Powerful as dragon hide was, even it could not stand against the killing curse. The dragon slumped to the ground, its golden eyes glazing over. Harry's rage, which he had successfully controlled up to this point, boiled over. He held up his wand, crying, "STUPEFY!" A red flash lit the air. The Death Eaters instantly fell over, and the dragon's offspring was stunned as well.

Harry tied up the Death Eaters, and revived the stunned dragon. It looked at him warily, but glanced at the tied up killers. He looked back at his mother, and saw the death in her eyes. The dragon gave a piteous moan, and tears fell from its golden eyes. Its eyes turned red, and Harry realized what it was thinking. He quickly threw himself between the dragon and the Death Eaters, who were still stunned. He growled at her, saying, "They're not worth it! If you kill them, the wizard community will see you as a threat, and come after you! Don't do this! I know someone who can make them live in prison forever, with no hope of escape. Please, don't do this!"

The young dragon glared at Harry. _They killed my mother! They must pay for her blood with theirs. _Harry tried again to calm the dragon. "Please, calm down! Do not become like them, murderous and bloodthirsty. Trust me, for your mother's sake!" The dragon drew its breath, preparing to breathe flame, but hesitated. It made up its mind, and let the fire go. Harry prepared to do a shield charm, but didn't need to. The fire had reduced a tree to ash instantly.

_Grr. Very well, I will spare them, for my mother's sake. I want to see them delivered to this friend of yours. _Harry sighed in relief. He had sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to fight a dragon. He gave a hiss, saying, "I promise you this. You will be there as I give them to this friend. But first, I want to interrogate them." _I will be there. Where should I stay in the meantime? _

"I have a place in the manor where I live where you can stay. I have other friends there, including a phoenix, a griffin, and an escaped tiger from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I'm sure they'll make you very welcome." Harry said, levitating the Death Eaters in front of him.

He led the dragon back to the manor. As he did, he got to know him as little better. "So, do you have a name?" The dragon gave another hiss. _Yes, I do. My name is Mira. _"Mira, huh? That's a pretty name." _Yes, I think so too._

They reached the manor, and Harry lead Mira up to the training room. Hohn turned as he entered, singing a greeting. _Hello Harry. I see you've brought us another friend._ Harry stopped Hohn there, saying, "Whether she'll be your friend is not my choice, but hers. If she wants to be your friend, then I'm sure you two will have fun together. If she doesn't, then I ask that you leave her be." He looked at Mira, waiting for her response.

_Thank you for giving me a choice, but I could really use some friends now. I can't wait until I meet the griffin and tiger._ At that point, Godric and Silver walked up. Godric gave a whistle. _Who's the newbie? _Harry gave him a reproachful look, berating his lack of manners. Godric looked slightly ashamed and corrected himself. _Who might you be?_ The dragon gave a little snort, causing a bit of fire to come out of its nose. _My name is Mira. You don't have to be all polite with me._ Harry cleared his throat and said, "Well, I'm going to go study some more. Get to know each other, why don't you." With that, he left.

Hohn the phoenix spoke up, giving a little trill. _As a phoenix, I am extremely adept at sensing feelings. You have suffered a loss. Who was it?_ Mira eyes began to water slightly, and she growled. _It was my mother. She was attacked by men in masks, who shot jets of light._ All of the animals were silent for a moment, and then Hohn spoke again. _We all have suffered in some way, but I've never sensed anyone with such a burden as Harry. He was suffered more than any of us, yet still cares for us and is selfless. I stay with him because he has a great destiny about him, though I can't tell what it is. He needs friends, and is planning to cut himself off from his friends at school. He'll need me. He'll need all of us. That's why I give him my loyalty._

They all digested these words, and then Godric spoke up. _I follow him for his bravery. Long has bravery been respected by griffins, and the day he found me in my cage, he showed this trait. He opened my cage and let me free without any thought of the consequences. He risked his own life at the battle with the basilisk, and probably did again tonight. I may be wrong, but that is how you came to be with us, right?_ He turned an inquisitive eye to Mira, who nodded.

Next, Silver spoke. _I have spent most of my life in the presence of wizards, for that is how I was created; by their hand. They did not care for me there. They feed me, made sure I had the nutrients I needed, but they never got to know me. Sure, they couldn't talk to me as Harry can, but they made no attempt at all to try to communicate. His sensitivity to the needs of others is strong, almost to a fault. I had never known such friendship, except from my mate._

Mira gave a hiss, indicating her desire to speak. They fell silent and listened. _I don't know Harry as well as any of you, but I know this; he tried to save my mother. He couldn't, but he tried. He is merciful as well, or he would have not captives, but ashes. I was ready to burn them alive, but he convinced me they weren't worth it. I wish to become his friend. It would be advantageous to him and me. As his friend, I would not have to worry about wizard hunters, for no one is going to mess with Harry Potter's dragon._

They exchanged looks, all certain of one thing. They were, and would be, the friends and supporters of Harry Potter. Together, they were better. Together, they were strong.

As the animals discussed this, Harry himself was making his was down to the basement. He had put the captured Death Eaters in Godric's cage. They were conscious now, and screaming curses and threats. They had tried to disaparate, but Harry had placed an antiaparation jinx in the cage. He stunned them again, and went over to the shelf. Spotting the object he had been seeking, he pulled out a bottle of veritiserum.

Walking over to the cage, he unlocked it, climbing inside. When he was successfully inside, he sealed the door. He took the first Death Eater and poured three drops of the truth potion down his throat. He raised his wand and muttered, "Enervate" The man's eyes opened slowly, and he sat there with a blank look.

"What is your name?" Harry asked.

"Antonin Dolohov."

"Why were you here?"

"My master sent me and the others to find the gateway."

"What is the gateway?"

"I do not know. My master just told us what it looks like."

"And what does it look like?"

"It is a stone temple, no bigger than a two story house. The gateway is inside."

"Why did you attack the dragon?"

"We thought we would gain favor with the Dark Lord by presenting him with dragon hide."

Harry re-stunned him and moved onto the next Death Eater. Repeating the procedure, he received no new information. He questioned all of the Death Eaters except one, who seemed to be the leader. He dragged him the side of the cage and began the questioning again.

"What is your name?"

"Lucius Malfoy" So, this was Malfoy's dad. This would give Harry immense leverage over Draco at school.

"What is your master seeking at the gateway?" Harry didn't expect an answer, for none of the others had produced one. He was shocked when Lucius gave an answer.

"He seeks the tools of old." Harry pressed onward.

"What are the tools of old?"

"They are different. They hold immense power." Harry wanted to know more about these tools of old.

"List the tools of old." Lucius had no choice but to comply.

"They include the Galator, Merlin's Staff, and the sword Excalibur." Harry wondered where these items might be, and questioned Lucius further.

"What does the gateway itself do?"

"It is a portal, open only to the chosen one. My master believes himself to be the one."

"Where does the portal go?"

"I do not know."

"What clues do you have of its location?" Harry was extremely curious about this.

"We were told only this: _A dragon's fire, a phoenix's song, will reveal the gateway, hidden for long_."

Harry quickly wrote these words down and stunned Lucius. Unsealing the door, he left the cage. He quickly sealed it with the most powerful locking charm he knew, and left the basement. He went upstairs and took out a book. This time, it was _Methods of Magical Transportation and Detection_. He needed to learn how to apparate. He studied all night, and had finished reading everything there was to read at 2:00 A.M. He got into bed, but yet again, could not sleep. He decided to try to apparate, so he got out of bed, and began to practice.

He started out small, just across the room. He was expecting a loud crack, but instead, all he got was a slight _puff_. According to the book, this meant he was extremely adept at apparating. He moved up, apparating across the house. Then he tried to the far mountain, and then to the end of the Alps range. After that, he apparated to London. He went back and set a new goal. He concentrated, envisioning himself standing where he wanted to, and opened his eyes. It had worked. He was at Hogsmeade village. He apparated back, and went to bed. This time he was able to sleep.

The next morning, he opened the book again so as to learn how to create portkeys. He read up on the theory, and learned the enchantment. Deciding to try it out, he took a dirty sock, and muttered, "Portus" The sock glowed for a minute, and then was normal. He had supposedly programmed it to Hogsmeade. He took hold, and felt the familiar jerk behind his navel. A second later, he was in Hogsmeade, by the Shrieking Shack. He took the portkey back, and took the spell off of the sock.

He was preparing to go down to breakfast, feeling extremely proud, when something caught his eye. It was a letter. He picked it up, examining the familiar curly writing and the Hogwarts crest. It was from Dumbledore. He took the letter out and began to read.

_Dear Harry,_

_I am sorry you did not do as I asked. I am impressed you managed to perform the Fideleus Charm, and think it was very wise to make a phoenix your secret keeper. How on earth did you talk to it enough to tell it what it needed to do? Well, I suppose I could rant and rave and demand you come back at once, but it would do no good. I can see you are determined, and had even considered taking away the position of Supreme Prefect. I do not have that power, because you have not abused your power in some way. So I guess I can only say be careful. I will meet with you at school and we can discuss things further. Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore_

Harry immediately sat down with some parchment and began writing a response.

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_I do not want to keep you in the dark, as I know you would only work in my best interests. Meet me in the Shrieking Shack at 9:00 tonight. I have urgent news. HP_

_P.S. The bird delivering this letter is named Hohn. Please show him the utmost respect. _

Harry sealed the letter and whistled. Hohn flew in lazily and chirped. _You called?_ Harry smiled and said, "Yes, I need you to take this letter to Professor Dumbledore. He's at a school in the U.K. called Hogwarts. Go with him to the Shrieking Shack, as I will be there. Good luck!"

The phoenix grabbed the letter and disappeared in a flash of flame. Harry was still curious about the effects of the potion he had made, so he researched the powers of the different ingredients. Apparently, phoenix feather also made one extremely intelligent in the ways of the mind. He tried closing his mind, and found it surprisingly easy. The potion must have boosted his Occlumency and Legillimency powers too.

He was walking downstairs for some breakfast when his bare feet were cut on some jagged stone. He grabbed his foot out of instinct, and was amazed to see the cut healing. The unicorn horn must have that. But that wasn't right; he'd taken potions with unicorn horn in them before, and this had never happened. Perhaps he had always had this power, and he had just unlocked it. At any rate he wasn't complaining.

He sat down and began to eat his bacon and eggs, reading some more of _Methods of Magical Transportation and Detection_. He was reading up on the various spells that prohibited apparating. Maybe if he could figure out which one Hogwarts used, he could apparate on the grounds. He had gotten pretty far when he was interrupted. Godric poked his beak at Harry's plate, chirping. _You going to finish that sausage?_ Harry chuckled and pushed him the plate.

_Thanks. By the way, where's Hohn? I could use some herbs to give this more flavor._ Harry grinned again. "You little food pirate! What's wrong with getting your own food?" Godric chuckled himself and gave a response. _It's more fun stealing your food._ Harry sighed. "I give up." _Good. But really, where is Hohn?_

Harry explained. "I'm going to meet someone tonight. I sent word with Hohn. He's a great messenger." The griffin raised a question. _Who are you meeting? Where?_ Harry snatched one of the remaining sausages off the plate and replied, "His name is Professor Dumbledore. He's my headmaster, and I'm meeting him close to the school."

The griffin glared at him, pulling the plate a little closer, and clicked his beak. _That was my sausage you stole! Food pirate indeed. Hypocrite. Anyway, think I could come along? I'm eager to get out of this house. It's cool and all, but I could really use a nice journey. _Harry laughed, reaching for another sausage. Godric squawked, putting his wings around the plate.

"Sure, you can come along. Mira's coming, so I suppose you and Silver should as well. You're right; we could all use a little break. But be on your guard. We leave at 1:00. Could you tell Silver and Mira for me? Thanks." With that, Harry left. He wanted to learn as much as could before his meeting with Dumbledore. He was done with Transfiguration, as he knew all of the N.E.W.T. level spells and beyond. He was done also with potions. He was sure he could make any potion Snape would throw his way. He had, after all, created his own potion. He decided he would master everything else today, but wondered how he would manage it by 1:00.

He went upstairs, trying to find a solution to his problem, and walked into his room. Glancing around, the answer struck him. It was so obvious; he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before. His trunk, with its time-turner spell would be perfect for this. He walked over to it, unlocking it with his hand. He set the time for one hour per minute, and crawled inside.

He studied charms first. He had most of them learned, but a few were still elusive. He was confident, though. If he could do the Fideleus Charm, he could do anything. He worked on those for about five hours. He read _Powerful Charms_ cover to cover, and studied all the theories. He had performed all the spells, and could do them easily given a picosecond's warning.

After that, he moved on to Ancient Spells. This one took a long time. Harry had worked for over eight hours, and had it down. He had learned all sorts of things from _Ancient Spells for the Uncommon Man_. He had learned wandless magic, some of the more powerful curses and hexes, a few powerful shields, and was still working on a power he really wanted. The book taught how to become a polymagus, or one who can change into any animal form. He was about halfway done on the last one, and worked another six hours. He wondered how he had managed it that quickly, and read a footnote. It apparently sped up the process. It took more time to focus on a single form, but it didn't take nearly as long for multiple forms. He concentrated, trying to change into a phoenix. In a flash of fire, he was there, his arms now scarlet wings. He transformed back, and tried with other animals. Finally satisfied, he finished the Ancient Spells book, learning some powerful healing spells.

After the ancient spells, he moved onto shields and curses. He learned all the shields fairly quickly, and they seemed like child's play in comparison to the ancient spells he had just learned. He worked on the curses some, and learned more curses in four hours than he had during his five years at Hogwarts.

When he was done with those, he read _Advanced Combat Training_. It took a while too, but was speeded up immensely by a potion the book had told him to make. Ordinarily, it would have taken years for Harry to learn the different fighting styles in the book, but with the help of this potion, he managed it in seven hours. He had successfully learned swordsmanship, boxing, karate, tae kwon do, kung fu, kick boxing, street fighting juto, and lightning reflexes. But after all these things, Harry was exhausted, and went to sleep in the trunk. He woke up twelve hours later, feeling refreshed. Looking down at his watch, he gasped. He had slept for twelve hours! He had to get up, or he'd miss his appointment with Dumbledore. It was only after he'd recognized his surroundings as his trunk that he realized he was still using the time-turner function.

Leaving the trunk, he went down to the front door to prepare for his journey. He wouldn't need his broom, and decided not to bring it. He could, after all, transform into a bird or dragon. He walked into the kitchen, enjoying a lunch with his friends that resulted with Godric and Silver throwing pies at each other. Ducking pie, Harry went outside. He was ready to leave this place for a little. He called to his friends, and they stopped their fight immediately. Harry couldn't stop himself from laughing. Apparently, things had really gotten ugly when they'd accidentally hit Mira. She had sent pies flying everywhere, causing both griffin and tiger to dive under the table, while Godric waved Silver's white tail as a flag.

After doing a cleaning charm, Harry spoke to them all. "We'll, are you all ready? We're going to Hogwarts to meet my headmaster. Hohn is already there, and I'm sure you'll all like Professor Dumbledore. Mira, he's the friend I was talking about. We'll bring our little _friends_." He jabbed his finger at the Death Eaters, who looked quite terrified at the sight of Mira.

He conjured a net of chains, with a chain leading upward. Grabbing this, Harry climbed on top of Mira, and said, "Well, friends, off to Hogwarts!"


	4. Chapter 4: Teacher and Student

Author's Note: Thanks for all your reviews! They were appreciated. Sorry if anyone objected to me killing off Hedwig. It had to be done. I just couldn't get it to work! I tried to have Harry mediate between Hedwig and Hohn, but I couldn't find a relationship I was satisfied with. And yes, I know there is no way Harry could have mastered so many spells so quickly, but this is fanfiction, and my quill is law. Now THAT was a bad pun. Well, I threw a dragon into the mix. If you have any thoughts or objections on this matter, please put them in your review. Just so you know, it usually takes me somewhere in between one and three days to post a new chapter, so I hope you weren't waiting for too long on this chapter. Hope you enjoy the chapter. Read and Review please. Ferretfriend

"Well, friends, off to Hogwarts!" With that, they took off, enjoying the thrill of flight. Godric was flying on the left side, doing quite a bit of looping and spiraling. _Show off._ Harry thought. Looking down at the ground, he saw Silver zipping across the ground. He really was fast. He was enjoying riding on Mira, but wanted to try out a few of his animagus forms. The chain was secured to Mira, and he didn't have to worry about the Death Eaters seeing him transform. He had stunned them right after take off.

Turning to his friends, he called, "Hey, watch this!" Jumping off Mira's back, he transformed into a magnificent hippogriff. He flapped his wings, performed a perfect barrel roll. He turned to face his friends, who had watched open-mouthed. Silver had floated up on a block of ice to watch. Deciding to surprise them again, he turned into Hungarian Horntail. His friends all let out noises of shock, especially Mira.

Silver was the first to recover. _When'd you learn to do that?_ Harry grinned at him. "Today." Mira had recovered slightly and snorted. _Seriously._ Harry's smile widened. "I'm being serious. I learned how to do that today." Godric added his own comment. _I have heard of wizards changing into a certain animal apiece, but you can change into many animals. Besides, it takes years to be able to change like that. You couldn't have done it in a day._

Harry just said, "I'll explain later, now c'mon." With that, he changed into a Peruvian Vipertooth, swiftest of the dragons and darted forward. The all took off after him, trying to keep up. Strangely enough, Silver was the first to reach him. Harry supposed it was his speed. Harry transformed into a tiger like Silver, using the strength his potion had supplied him with. He found he was able to keep up, and even had a conversation with him while they were running.

"I can see why you enjoy running. When you're this fast, it gives you a greater thrill than flying." The tiger growled at him, replying. _Yes, running is fun. I sometimes wish I could fly, but am content here on the ground. It is good to be humble._ Harry nodded his head. "Yeah, I hate all the attention people give me just because I'm the boy who lived. If I'm going to be praised, I want to have earned it." Silver growled out his response. _But you have earned it. You have done more since I met you than most wizards alive. You told me that was the second basilisk you killed, right?_ Harry just nodded, his face feeling hot. _Well, how many wizards have destroyed a basilisk, let alone two? None. You are worthy of praise, though your modesty is another trait that empowers you. Perhaps you did not know, but humility is the soul of wizardry itself. _

Harry thought about this. There was some truth to that, at least for the higher arts of wizardry. Voldemort wasn't humble, though. Humility was not essential for the lower forms of wizardry. When he was honest with himself, he was indeed humble. Maybe this is why he had been able to master so many spells so quickly.

He observed the landscape around him. It was beautiful around the mountains. Turning to Silver, he said, "I'm going to go back up, okay?" Silver was okay with that, so up Harry went, again in his Peruvian Vipertooth form. He rather liked this form. As a breathed some flame, a glint of something shiny caught his eye. At the same time, he could swear he had heard phoenix song. He ignored it, but made a mental note of where that glimmer had been.

He saw the end of the Alps approaching, and called out to his friends. "We need to turn northwest here! Follow my lead!" And off he shot again, slowing down a bit so they could catch up to him. He kept flying until he saw a village. "Up into the clouds! Hurry, before someone sees you!"

They all followed him up into the clouds, and stayed above that so the muggles wouldn't see them. It was extremely easy for Silver, who had an easy time of freezing paw holds in the chilled water vapor. They continued above the clouds for another thirty minutes before Harry changed into an eagle, swooping down beneath the clouds. It was lucky he did, because they had just crossed the English Channel.

Turning even more to the east, Harry led his friends toward the London area. They flew without disturbance for another thirty minutes, and then checked the ground again. Harry looked down, and could see the city of London. They were within an hour of Hogwarts, less if they hurried. Harry urged his friends to a greater speed, telling them, "I know a place where we can take a short break. Follow me."

After about fifteen minutes, Harry saw the bridge where the train had stopped during his third year. There was a small cave there, underneath the tracks. He had read about it in _Hogwarts; A History_. They landed outside the cave, and clambered inside.

It was spectacular. The inside was lit by thousands of crystals, shining in different colors. There was a pool to the right, and stalagmites and stalactites everywhere. Godric landed and instantly began to drink some water. Mira too began to drink, and Silver soon joined them. Harry scooped some of the water up with his hand and tasted it. It was cool and had an odd flavor about it. Not a nasty flavor like sulfur, but a pleasant, almost minty. The source of this taste was revealed a minute later when they found a bush of mint leaves by the mouth. The water would hit the leaves and travel down into the pond.

Harry felt strange, like he was being watched, and whirled around. There was nothing there. He must have been imagining things. After they had all refreshed themselves, they were prepared to leave. As they flew off, Harry marked this spot in his mind too. It would be a good place to hide or keep his friends if they were unwelcome at Hogwarts. They flew for about thirty more minutes, and then spotted the tops of the towers. It was Hogwarts.

Turning to his friends, Harry called, "First one to the castle gets a buffet tonight!" The effect was instantaneous. Godric shot forward at a speed Harry didn't think possible. Silver was right on his heels, and both ducked as Mira passed over them. They all snarled when Harry, still in Vipertooth form, blew them off course with his wake. He was winning, and they were trying desperately to catch up, but couldn't.

He touched down on the green lawns of Hogwarts, out of breath and victorious. They all glared at him, thinking wistfully of the wonderful supper that had so narrowly escaped them. He cheered them all up by saying, "Oh, c'mon! You didn't think I was serious, did you? Buffet for everyone!" This was very well received.

Harry turned towards the village of Hogsmeade, and the Shrieking Shack loomed into view. That was where he was meeting Dumbledore. Recalling his last visit to the Shrieking Shack, Harry decided it could use a few homey touches. Reverting back into his human form, he began to stride towards it.

The animals all began to go with him, and Silver asked the question on all of their minds. _So where's this Shrieking Shack. My, that doesn't sound like a very friendly name._ Harry pointed toward the ominous building in the right horizon. _Then why aren't we going that way?_ "The entrance is boarded up, and the only way is a secret passage. It starts over here."

Harry led them to the Womping Willow, and warned them of its violent personality. Harry changed into a weasel and snuck up to the secret knot. Pressing it with his nose, he changed back. The tree froze instantly. His friends all ran forward, trying to squeeze in between the gap in the roots. Godric and Silver managed it okay, but Mira was having problems. The gap just wasn't big enough.

Pulling out his wand, Harry muttered, "Reducto!" The space around the hole disintegrated, leaving a bigger gap than before. It was still a little small, but Mira could fit through now. Harry put an illusion in place so nobody would notice the difference. Turning, he started down the passage with his friends.

The tunnel down to the Shrieking Shack was just as it had been about two years ago; dark and creepy. They walked for a while until Harry saw the end of the tunnel, motioning for his friends to follow. They did so, and emerged on the threshold of the Shrieking Shack a minute later.

Harry looked around at the common room. It was a mess. All of the furniture was smashed into pieces, and a thick layer of dust covered everything. Silver sneezed. Harry took out his wand again, and held it up in the air. Concentrating, Harry didn't even say the incantation. A blinding light filled the house for a second, and then disappeared. He opened his eyes, and saw that everything was spotless. The chairs were still broken, though. He pointed his wand at each of them in turn and repaired them. He turned to the couch, and put away his wand. Concentrating once more, Harry channeled his magical energy and said the incantation in his mind. The couch sprang back together, looking brand new.

Harry looked around. It was a pretty good looking place now. He sat on the couch in front of the fireplace, pointing his hand at it. The fire sprang up in its place, licking the wood that had been there. The animals all took a seat. Mira shot a look at Harry, who understood and conjured a giant cushion immediately. Mira gave a grunt of thanks, and they all rested. They were extremely tired after the long journey.

Glancing down at his watch, Harry saw it was already 7:00. Professor Dumbledore was not meeting him until 9:00. He still had two hours. He started to talk to Mira about how dragons could breathe fire. "So, how do dragons breathe fire? I've always wondered about that." Mira gave a lazy hiss. _I am not sure myself. It is just something we are born with for what I can tell._

Harry was disappointed, and looked around at the unconscious Death Eaters. He had brought along two vials of veritiserum, incase Dumbledore wanted to question them. They had been searching for something called the gateway. What was it? Harry knew from Lucius Malfoy that it supposedly held two very powerful treasures; the staff of Merlin and the sword of Excalibur. Harry knew that Voldemort would wreak havoc on society if he ever got these ancient tools, and decided to search for this gateway.

His thoughts strayed to the cave they had stopped at on the way here. It had been a beautiful cave. The strange thing was what he had felt inside. It was like a strong magical presence, and Harry had felt like something was watching them. Harry decided to check the cave out again on the way home.

He was snapped out of his reverie by a sound. It was footsteps, echoing from the mouth of the tunnel. Harry looked at his watch. It was only 8:00. Dumbledore was early! Raising his hands above him, he quickly put an invisibility charm on all of them. After that, all they could do was wait.

The footsteps grew louder, and they finally saw an old man appear at the tunnel mouth. It was Professor Dumbledore. He looked around in surprise, obviously not expecting the changes Harry had made. He chuckled and said, "You can come out now, Harry."

Harry appeared, walking forward. "How did you know I was there?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, and he said, "Who else could have done all this?" Harry looked around, wondering why he hadn't thought about that.

"So," said Dumbledore, changing the subject. "I met Hohn. A wonderful bird, he is. He and Fawkes have been getting on spectacularly. He seems very friendly, and didn't trust any of the other teachers besides me, especially Professor Snape."

Harry smirked at this, making a mental note to congratulate Hohn. "So, where is he now?" Harry's question was answered for him when he heard not one, but two phoenixes singing together. They came out of the tunnel soaring, and landed on their respective owner's chair.

"You seem to be doing well. I had hoped you would come back when I asked you to in my letter. I am glad you decided to talk to me. I don't suppose you're going to tell me where you are hiding?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I won't tell anyone that. I have no intention of returning to the life I lived during the previous summer. I am happy now, happier than I ever have been outside Hogwarts. I respect your opinion, but it has no weight in this matter."

Dumbledore sighed. "I had hoped it would not come to this, but I'm afraid I have no choice. Please try to understand." He stood up, and as he did, members of the Order of the Phoenix appeared. Every member had their wand trained on Harry. "I'm sorry, Harry. I had really hoped it wouldn't come to this, and had to respect the decision of the Order. I did not want you to be taken by force." Dumbledore waited, praying Harry would not put up a fight.

Harry looked around and did something nobody expected him to do; laugh. He just laughed. When he had stopped, his expression darkened, and he whistled. Instantly, his friends appeared. Godric was inches to the side of Moody, who jumped, but didn't fire a spell. Mira had about four Order members cornered, and blew a ring of smoke ominously. Hohn had flown to Harry, and was hovering above his head, ready to defend. Silver had created a thick layer of ice around everyone's feet, so nobody could move except for Harry and friends.

Harry waited for this to sink in, and said, "You see, I too have come prepared. These are my friends, and they have all pledged their allegiance. This house has an anti-apparation jinx on it, so you can't dissapparate. We are on the same side, and must not fight within ourselves. The Order has already lost one brave member to such conflict. His name was Sirius Black, and he was the best man I ever met. I will not let his sacrifice be in vain. If you refuse to listen to reason, I will leave. When the jinx wears off, you can go wherever you want, or we can cooperate and I can release you. It's your choice; go ahead and make it."

Most of the Order members looked angry, but Dumbledore was beaming. "Well done, Harry! I did try to tell them that, but they were rather angry with you." Moody cut in, trying to break the ice around his legs. "Damn right we were! What were you thinking running off like that, eh Potter?" Dumbledore chided him. "Alastor…"

Harry interrupted and said, "Look, I know you guys are angry at me for running away, but it's not about to change. You're going to have to accept that, like it or not." Dumbledore smiled around at everyone, with a distinct manner of _I told ya so._ Moody was the first to speak. "All right, Potter. You win. Now get this infernal ice off our feet."

Harry breathed a silent sigh of relief. He had not wanted confrontation. He gave a signal to Mira, who sent a jet of flame into the air. The intense heat melted the ice almost instantly, and they were able to break free. "Before you ask, I put a shield charm on each of you before I gave the signal."

Several people closed their mouths, their question answered. Tonks, however, piped up a question. "How come you can do magic now? How did you get the detection and tracing spells removed?" Harry smiled, but shook his head. "I can't tell you that. All I'll say is that I had someone remove them for me."

Dumbledore smiled again, and sat back down. "Well, let's all have a seat. I see you have fixed the place up. I'm glad you did. This will be an excellent place to keep your friends if the rest of the staff objects from their presence in the castle."

Harry sat down too, and Silver hopped up beside him. Scratching him behind the ears, Harry spoke to him. "Good thing we didn't have to fight. I'm sure we could have gotten away, but I don't think I need any more enemies." Silver gave a purr of agreement. _You're right, but I'm not so sure about the man in the corner, the one with the wooden leg. I think you told me he's called Moody. There's going to be a confrontation between him and Mira. Neither likes each other very much._

Harry looked at Moody, then at Mira. They were glaring at each other. Turning back to Professor Dumbledore, Harry said, "So, what do you need to know? Go ahead and ask the questions. I'll answer the ones that don't give away certain things I'm trying to hide." Dumbledore looked around, and got the questions going himself with, "What do you think about the Board of Directors giving you the Supreme Prefect award?"

Harry thought for a moment, and said, "I don't think it was necessary. I appreciate the authority, but I really didn't need it. You could give to anyone else, I wouldn't bat an eyelash."

Tonks stood up next, saying, "How did you meet all these animals? Where did you find them?" Harry answered, choosing his words carefully. "I found them in the place where I'm staying. For future reference, I'll just call it the Marauders' Manor. I won't tell you where it is, though, so as to not break the contract of the Fideleus Charm."

Turning to Dumbledore, he started to introduce his friends one by one. "The headmaster has already met my phoenix, Hohn. Come on Hohn, give us a tune." The phoenix obliged, give a short burst of song. Everyone appeared much more relaxed. Hohn landed on Harry's shoulder, moving about until he was comfortable. Harry went on.

"This is my griffin. His name is Godric, and he is extremely proud, so be careful lest you insult him." Turning to Godric, Harry gave a chirp. "Anything you want me to tell them?" Godric thought for a moment, and nodded. _Tell them I say to calm down. I'm not going to start attacking them._ Harry turned to the listeners again and said, "He says to calm down. He's not going to attack any of you unless you thoroughly deserve it."

Moving on to Silver, Harry explained yet again. "This is Silver. Before I tell you what she is, you must all swear to secrecy. Do you?" A few of them looked uneasy, but they all agreed. "All right then. Silver is an escaped experiment from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He was trying to settle down when he was attacked by a basilisk. I have no idea how a basilisk went unnoticed for so long, but know it won't be a problem anymore. The basilisk was killed, yes, but so was Silver's family. Ever since then, he's been following me around. I'm glad to have his company, and will stop whoever tries to take him by any means possible."

Deciding to move onto Mira, he walked over to her. "Mira is, as you can see, a Swedish Short Snout. She's relatively young dragon-wise, but knows the tricks of the trade. Like Silver, she too has hade her family robbed from her. This time, it was not a basilisk, but Voldemort's Death Eaters." Everyone stiffened at the sound name. "The Death Eaters were looking for something, probably me. I found them attacking Mira and her mother, so I interfered. I tried to save the mother, but I was too late. The Death Eaters were subdued, however. I have brought them with me."

With that, he waved his hand, and the invisibility spell surrounding the Death Eaters vanished, and they appeared in the middle of the congregation. Everyone, including Dumbledore, jumped. Moody had pulled out his wand and had it trained on the bundle. Dumbledore gave Harry a searching look, and Harry quickly closed his mind. He didn't want anyone to know about the gateway.

Harry looked around again, grinning in satisfaction at the shocked look on their faces. Clearing his throat, he said, "So, what is the Order doing now? How are you guys fighting Voldemort? What's going on?"

Dumbledore answered, taking no notice of the flinch that swept through the room. "Well, we know from Severus that Voldemort is looking for something. We don't know what it is, but we expect it is either Harry or the Prophecy concerning him. We're doing all that we can, but he's been attacking us. It's just like last time; he's picking us off, one by one." Dumbledore looked grim.

Harry digested the information before speaking. "I have something I have been working on. Again, you all must swear to not divulge this secret, for I will know who told. And when I do, it will be a dark day for that person." He looked around darkly. After he saw the nods of consent from everyone, he took out a vial. "This is a potion I have made. It will make the effects of Re'em blood permanent. Professor, I suggest you give some to every member of the Order, so they will be stronger. The making of this potion is a trademark secret, and I intend o guard that myself. I will supply you with the potion, but I will not tell you how to make it."

He tossed the vial to Dumbledore, and took out another. Tossing this to Tonks, he reached for another, He continued like this until everyone in the room had a vial. He spoke, saying, "Okay, you all have your potion. Drink up, and tell me if you feel it working." Again the people looked uneasy, but Dumbledore popped the lid off of his and downed it in a gulp. He sighed, and opened his eyes. Looking around, he addressed the crowd.

"Don't worry, it's not poison. It works, too. I feel much stronger. Let me be the first to thank Harry for this gift. It will surely help us in our battle against Voldemort." The rest of the members seemed bolder now, and took their potion as well. Instantly, the room was filled with sighs, surprised exclamations, and a few choice words from Moody.

When the room had calmed down somewhat, they all turned to Harry, and Moody voiced what they all were thinking. "How in the name of Merlin did you manage that? No offense Potter, but you're not the best in potions. Snape talks of you as a sort of crisis." Harry chuckled at first, but his expression darkened. "Maybe _Professor_ Snape should teach his students the way they should be taught. I re-taught myself all the things he was supposed to, and went further. I am good at potions, but don't need him breathing down my back."

Harry looked at the crowd, and they all looked back. But there was something there that hadn't been before; Respect. They respected him now that he had done something for the Order. Sure, they had respected him for the other things he had done, but their view of him had been significantly low since he had run away. Now the respect was back, and they were a bit friendlier.

Dumbledore stood up, his eyes twinkling, and said, "Well, I think that concludes our business. It's been nice seeing you again. I shall see you when you return to Hogwarts, and perhaps we can have a more personal conversation there. Until then, be careful."

Moody added his own comment. "Yeah, Potter. Don't go doing anything stupid. And keep that lizard of yours in check." Mira gave a snort, and Harry translated for her. "Mira says to keep the remnants of your nose out of other people's business." That was it. Moody whipped his wand out and fired a jinx at Mira. The jinx was repelled by her thick hide, and she let out a jet of fire. In an instant, Moody's wooden leg was gone, and all that remained was pile of ashes on the floor.

Moody seemed to realize defeat, and didn't try to attack again. Mira was smirking triumphantly, and Godric was rolling on the floor laughing. Even Hohn and Silver were chuckling, though it was clear they were resisting as much as they could. They all left the Shrieking Shack, and stopped by the lake. Here, the animals drank some water, while Harry conjured up a soda.

When they had all drunken their fill, they were ready to leave. It was still very dark, and Harry wondered what time it was. Glancing down at his watch, he received a shock. It was 5:00 A.M. It would be dawn soon, and they would be able to see. Harry changed into his Peruvian Vipertooth form, and took off, his friends all flying alongside him. And so began the journey home.


	5. Chapter 5: Of Lizards and Lessons

Author's Note: Well, I would be writing this from my new laptop computer, but it doesn't have the internet yet, so I wouldn't be able to post anything. Here are a few answers to the multiple questions. I can't believe how many reviews I've gotten! I'm so loved.

To crazy ppl: Actually, Harry had just started his journey at the end of the chapter. I didn't forget about the cave. It will play a major roll in this chapter.

To HeWhoComesWithTheDawn: To tell the truth, I completely forgot about the veritiserum. As for Mira, at the beginning, that wouldn't have been enough. But I think her trust in Harry multiplied when the animals had the talk in Chapter 3. And yes, Harry could probably get some more info on the Gateway from Dumbledore, but is he really going to say anything? I think not for two reasons. One, if Dumbledore knew the vague location of the Gateway, he might be able to guess where Harry is hiding. Two, don't forget they were in the presence of other Order members like Moody and Tonks.

To frozenwands: I am purposely vague in my description of his new skills so that when Harry uses them in the story, it will take the reader by surprise. Kind of a twist, don't ya think?

To Cyrano2.0: Yeah, I did forget Care of Magical Creatures. Ironic, isn't it, with all of the animals Harry is traveling with?

To Sirius 009: Ordinarily, I give Ron more respect, and think of him as a cooler guy. But given his personality, I don't think he's going to respond well to Harry becoming even richer, or him being so much better. He's always been second best, but now it's by a long shot. As a tribute to Ron, Ron and Hermione will be a couple. That still leaves the question of who's going to be with Harry. Also, I know the wizard world is at war, but the point of Harry's running away was to isolate himself so he could improve his skills. I'm unsure on the pairings so far, except for Ron/Hermione. I know who's going to be with Harry, but I can't tell. It would wreak havoc on the plot line. There would be no surprise.

Well, I think that's everything. I strongly suggest any readers who have question to read the responses to reviews I write, as I often explain things in there. Who's going to be with Harry? And what of the prophecy in Chapter One? Only time will tell!

Flying above the clouds in the sleek body of a Peruvian Vipertooth was an extremely uplifting experience. Harry Potter and his animal friends were enjoying the time they had. The meeting with Dumbledore had gone well. Glancing around, Harry watched the others. You could usually tell what was bothering them (Or get close, anyway) just by observing them quietly.

Hohn the phoenix was soaring about, performing dives and loops. Mira the dragon was flying along at a continuous rate, and seemed to tune out distraction. Turning his attention to the griffin on his right, Harry watched him. He seemed to be taking Hohn's aerobatics as a challenge, and spiraled into a corkscrew. Looking down, Harry saw a whit blur. This blur was his tiger, Silver. Endowed with powers since birth, he was extremely fast.

Harry surveyed the sky. It was still dark, but he could see traces of light, which meant dawn was fast approaching. Harry looked back down, and saw a place where he wanted to stay. It was the cave he had stopped at on the way up. He signaled his friends, indicating the cave. He was sure they understood, but just to clarify, he dived downward. They followed, Godric doing another spiral. They landed, and looked at the cave's entrance. Silver was already there, waiting for them.

Changing back into his human form, Harry walked forward into the cave. His friends followed, chatting amiably of the meeting with Dumbledore. "Nice job with the ice, Silver." "Not as nice as that fire! Did you see that guy hobbling about after you burned his wooden leg?"

Harry removed himself from all the chatter. He needed a little peace and quiet. Moving further back in the cave, he followed the stream. He came to its source, and began to drink. It was just as refreshing as it had been before, and he was just leaning in top take another sip when a thunderous voice erupted from the back of the cave.

"WHO DARES DISTURB OUR CAVE! WHY HAVE YOU COME HERE, HUMAN?" Harry shot up, pulling out his wand in the process. He pointed it towards the back of the cave and called out. "Who are you? Where are you hiding?" The voice sounded again. "DO NOT TRY TO QUESTION ME, HUMAN! YOUR KIND BRING ONLY SUFFERING! NOW TELL ME WHO YOU ARE NOW, OR YOU WILL MEET OUR FURY!"

Harry gulped and motioned to his friends to stay back incase it attacked. He gave a nervous cough, and spoke. "My name is Harry Potter. I mean no harm. I only wanted to rest and drink some water. These are my friends. Please, do not be angry with us. We have come in peace, and will leave in peace." He began to back away.

"DO NOT MOVE, HARRY POTTER! WE HAVE BEEN HIDING FROM YOUR KIND FOR CENTURIES, AND YOU WILL NOT REVEAL US NOW! BEFORE YOU LEAVE THIS CAVE, YOU MUST PROVE YOURSELF TRUSTWORTHY."

Harry stopped moving backwards, and spoke up again. "What must I do?" Again the voice sounded, this time softer. "Come to the back of the cave. We will await you there."

Harry looked at his friends, and nodded. In a whisper, he told them, "Come only if I whistle." Turning back toward the rear of the cave, he began to walk forward. He was shaky at first, but controlled it. _This is no time for fear. Be strong, Potter_. He walked even further, and saw an archway. At the top of it was the Earth, and to the sides, different elements. The pillars on either side had dragons of different colors wrapped around them. Harry would have liked to examine this archway more carefully, but he thought it best to not keep his hosts waiting.

Walking through the archway, Harry found himself in a pentagonal room. On each of the corners was a statue of a different dragon. Harry stepped into the ring in the middle, and waited.

After a brief moment, the voice sounded again. "Welcome, Harry Potter, to the Dragons' Keep." As it spoke, the eyes on the statues all glowed a different color. One was white, one was black, one was red, one was blue, and one was green. The voice spoke again, taking Harry's attention.

"You have violated this place, but have not attempted to flee. You are brave. But bravery is often confused with stupidity. You will face our tests. You will be required to pass the physical test, and answer one question for each room. Begin."

With that, the dragon statue with the white eyes opened its mouth, and its tongue unfurled on the ground. Upon closer examination, Harry noticed that the tongue was really a set of stairs, and he could see a door in the back of the mouth.

He walked forward, climbing the set of stairs and going through the door. At once, he was hit with a blast of icy wind, chilling his blood. The voice spoke again. "In this room, you must reach the scroll and solve its riddle. It lies atop the glacier." Harry looked up. It would be a long, icy climb.

He waved his wand, and a pair of climbing hammers and boots appeared. He quickly put them on, and put his wand away. Picking up the hammers, he began his ascent.

It wasn't easy. The side of the glacier was extremely slippery, and incredibly hard. This was bothersome, because it made it tough to get a good hold on anything. He reached a small bump midway up, and rested on the top part. He still had to support some of his weight, but the bump made it easier.

He had just started back up when he heard a rumbling. Looking up, he saw bunches of icicles falling toward him, their points glinting dangerously. His wand was deep inside his cloak. There was no time. Holding on to the hammer with one hand, he lifted his other and shouted, "Reducto!"

The spell shot upward, reducing the missiles above him into powder snow. However, one still grazed his arm. The cut started to bleed, and he quickly grabbed it. Again, he felt that odd warming feeling. Looking down, he saw that he had healed the cut, just like last time. Harry made a mental note to practice that power.

He grabbed his other hammer and began to climb again. At long last, he reached the ledge. Climbing over, he saw a scroll incased in a column of ice. Taking great care to not slip, he walked toward the column. Ordinarily, he would just melt the ice, but that might burn the scroll. He started to chisel it out, and after thirty minutes, was done. He retrieved the scroll and began to read.

Ye who climbed the glacier's face Who conquered fear and ice 

_Ye succeeded in thy task_

_And will not pay the price_

_Move ye onward_

_To yonder room_

_There ye may _

Yet find thy doom The door will not open Unless you prove you know 

_Answer then, if ye can_

_How did ye say hello?_

Harry read and reread the scroll, taking in its contents. _How did I say hello? Hmm._ Harry reviewed. Surely, it would have something to do with ice. _Hello, ice, hmmm…C'mon Potter, you can't stop here! You can't fail!_ _Wait a moment, fail…fail… Of course! _Turning to the door, Harry spoke what he thought was the right word. "Hail." The door rumbled, then opened slowly. Relieved, Harry walked through.

The room looked like a swamp. The bog was bubbling, and was a sickly greenish yellow color. Harry didn't think he wanted to touch that. He glanced at the climbing hammers in hands, and dipped the handle of one in the liquid. He pulled it back out and backed away. It had dissolved. The bog was acid. _I'm going to put that on my must avoid list_. Harry surveyed the area, looking for something that would help him. There were several platforms that seemed to be made of an acid resistant material. The ceiling was covered with stalactites. (Or is it stalagmites? I always get those confused)

This gave Harry an idea. He quickly conjured a rope and threw it around one of the columns. When it was secure, he backed up, and jumped. He soared over to the first platform, and landed. He quickly flicked the rope loose and prepared to throw again. He repeated the process another three times.

On the fourth, he was in mid-swing, when, without warning, the rope snapped! The acid's fumes must have done something to it. Harry plummeted towards the acid, desperately looking for something to grab on to. He looked up at the stalactites. They were his only chance. He raised both of his hands, firing a different spell from each. From his right, he fired a reductor curse at the base, causing it to break off. With the left hand, he performed a summoning charm, multiplying the speed at which the stalactite was traveling downward. It passed him when he was about five feet above the acid, and he clung to the top.

He tried apparting, but it didn't work. He considered his options carefully. Time was fast dissipating, and it would be a matter of seconds before the makeshift raft was dissolved. He conjured at grappling hook, and threw it as hard as he could toward the platform. It clunked in place on the far side, secure and able to hold his weight. He performed another reductor curse, bringing down another stalactite. He jumped onto this one, and began pulling himself toward the platform.

When he reached the platform, he saw the scroll. It was in some sort of anti-acid bottle. It was completely submerged in the acid, and Harry wasn't keen of just pulling it out. He thought, and did the summoning charm again. The bottle floated towards him, leaving its protective bubble of acid. Harry took out the scroll and read.

The acid bog 

_Has been the doom_

_Of countless others_

_In this room_

_And as ye climbed _

_The glacier's face_

_Ye are the acid's _

Opposite Great. Another riddle. At least this one was fill in the blank. Okay, so it's the opposite of an acid, and rhymes with face. Hmmm. Think, Potter, think! Potions! Remember potions. Let's see. What did the book say was an acid's opposite was? And it rhymes with face. What rhymes with face? Well, there's race, mace, lace, base. That's it! 

Harry turned again to the door, and said, "Base" Apparently, it was the right word, because this door also ground forward. Harry marveled at the fact that he hadn't thought of that sooner, and was extremely glad he had relearned potions. He walked into the next room, and was faced with an onslaught of heat.

The entire room was ablaze. It resembled the interior of a volcano. There were volcanic rocks here and there. Surrounding these rock platforms was a pool of bubbling lava. He looked to the far side of the room, and saw the platform with the door and scroll.

Jumping onto the first platform, Harry looked around for his next move. There was a platform to his left, and another to his right. He didn't have long to decide though. The door behind him sealed, and what looked like a giant centipede crawled out of the lava. It was black, and Harry could see the lava smoldering in between the plates that protected it. It opened its pincers and gave a shrill screech.

As it began to crawl forward, Harry began to panic. Making up his mind, he jumped to another rock. He waved a hand at the creature, and performed a reductor curse. It glance off the shell, striking a near by rock. The beast breathed a jet of flame, and Harry ducked. Looking behind him, he saw the fire vaporize a rock.

Harry studied the centipede more closely. In between its pincers, he could see a bright blue eye. This gave him an idea. Pointing his hand at a nearby rock, he blew it apart. Summoning a shard, he aimed carefully. He used a banishing spell to launch the shard at the creature's eye. It contacted with a thud, and the beast curled up defensively. As he watched, Harry saw the gaps in between the shell fill up as it protected itself.

The creature wasn't dead, but it wouldn't bother him again. Jumping from rock to rock, Harry reached the final platform and summoned the scroll. This one was inside a waterfall of lava. He took out the scroll, and began to read.

_You've come this far_

_You're truly good_

_But if you fall_

_You'll burn like _

Harry sighed. This one was a little easier, and he thought he knew it already. Turning to the door, he said, "Wood" The door unsealed itself, and he proceeded into the next room.

It was a bare landscape. He thought this must be an easy room, and the challenge would be in the next. As he walked forward, the hairs on the back of his neck rose, and he instinctively threw himself down. He heard a crack and saw a blue streak make a crater about a foot away.

Harry wondered how to proceed. He would need something to draw the blue beams. He thought, and a thought struck him. The beams couldn't hurt him underground! He quickly transformed into a mole, and began to dig. He dug furiously, and only stopped when he hit his nose on the stone wall. He dug up, and blinked at the change of light. Crawling out of his hole, he transformed back into a human.

Looking up, Harry saw a scroll in a dark cloud. He reached up for it, but quickly put his hand down when he felt an odd tingling sensation. He summoned it and began to read.

_Ye survived the plain_

_Ye have done well_

_What travels through metal?_

_I pray thee tell_

Harry thought about this one. He didn't have any obvious clues except what was written on the scrolls. He thought its contents over carefully. _What travels through metal?_ Harry reviewed the facts. It was bluish, traveled in streaks, and traveled well through metal. Harry hit his forehead with his hand. It was so obvious why hadn't thought of it before? He turned to the door and spoke. "Lightning" The door opened, revealing another room. Harry walked through, and surveyed it.

It was a jungle. There was also an ominous green gas hovering around. Harry took a sniff and felt a burning in his lungs. Poison! He quickly performed a bubblehead charm, summoning a bubble around his head, supplying him with clean air. He took a deep breath, calming his mind.

He looked around. The jungle was dense, and Harry could see several carnivorous plants lurking. He walked forward, and began to make his way through. He found a tree and began to climb, so as to get a good idea of where he was and where he needed to be.

At the top, he was still surrounded by branches on all sides. He saw a nearby branch and jumped. He caught it, and pulled himself up. This tree was taller. Looking around, he saw that he was in the middle of the jungle. He looked further back and saw a platform resting in the branches of trees.

Jumping from branch to branch, he made his way back down to the floor. Walking forward, he continued his path through the jungle. This was relatively easy, and Harry suspected that the major challenge was the poisoned air. Continuing along his route, he finally reached the trees that held the platform. Leaping up to it, he looked around. The scroll was in the middle of the mouth of a venomous tentacula. Its sharp teeth glinted slightly in the light, and it swayed ominously.

He looked around. The sap inside venomous tentacula was acidic, and Harry wasn't keen on getting it on his hands. Harry tried to summon it, but the plant held on tightly. He thought about other possible ways to retrieve the info. He would need to lure its attention away from himself. Seeing a nearby stick, he levitated it close to the plant.

It didn't work, and the plant just swatted it aside. Apparently, the plant would only be swayed with food. Looking around, Harry saw a rabbit lying by the base of a tree. It was already dead, so Harry summoned it. Levitating it close to the venomous tantacula, he baited it.

After a minute, the plant turned its attention to the floating meal. It snapped down on the rabbit and began to eat. Harry seized his chance. "Accio!" The scroll flew out of the plant's mouth, which, realizing its mistake, began to thrash about. It was too late, and Harry grabbed the scroll triumphantly and began to read.

_Ye survived_

_Where other fell_

_Ye lived through _

_Ice and hell_

_Lightning missed_

_Poison failed_

_Acid was basic_

_Ye prevailed_

_Yet ere you leave_

_Answer me this_

_What did you use_

_That made the lightning miss?_

This riddle was easier. He just had to think about the lightning challenge, and how he had done it. He supposed this riddle was to ensure he had done the challenge correctly. He had transformed into a mole and had tunneled through the Earth. The answer was staring him in the face, too obvious to ignore. "Earth"

The door slid open again, and Harry found himself inside the pentagonal room once more. The statues had vanished. In their stead, real dragons, each a different color, had appeared. Harry looked around. He was in the room's center, and the dragons were all staring at him. The white dragon began to speak.

"You have survived our challenges, Harry Potter. You are indeed strong, or very lucky. Those who can survive obviously know what to say and when, so you will be allowed to leave. But before you go, we have something to discuss. We have heard of you and your exploits, and know of your enemy. Long has he persecuted the dragons, killing them for their blood. Apparently, you are the world's only hope, and we want you to succeed. We have thought it over, and have come to a decision. Having watched you during the challenges, and having noticed your concern for things like the venomous tentacula plant, we have decided to help you. Hold still."

All at once, brilliant lines appeared on the floor, in an intricate design. They were different colors, and seemed to be part of a ritual of some sort. Suddenly, the dragons all shot a beam of different things at the air above Harry. The white was breathing ice, the red fire, the black acid, the blue lightning, and the green poison. They continued to do this until a golden light appeared above him.

It shot down at him instantly, hitting him squarely in the face. He glowed gold for about a minute, then returned to his usual state. The dragons resumed their dignified poses and waited for the ice dragon to speak.

"Harry Potter, we have given you extreme power. That golden light has given you every power we possess. You can no control ice, fire, acid, lightning, and earth. Since the ice and fire are in one being, you can also control water. We gave you an additional power as well. All dragons are born with it, though they may not know it. It is the elemental control of air. This is what helps us fly. Because you do not have wings, you might not be able to fly as fast as us. It varies though, depending on the strength of the flier. We trust you enough to use these powers wisely, and will come to your aid when it is required. Hold out your hand."

Harry did so, waiting nervously. A block of ice appeared, and Harry surveyed it. It was only a block of ice. The red dragon sent a burst of flame, melting the ice into a curious shape. The green dragon breathed a jet of what looked like thin silvery material. It wrapped around the ice shape, molding to fit it. Looking more closely, Harry saw that the thin silvery material was really metal. The black dragon breathed a cloud of acid, from which a few drops fell, creating holes. Harry felt the creation, and realized it was now hollow. The blue dragon sent a jolt of lightning, and it pulsed through the thing.

"This is the Ocarina of Dragons. Play this tune." He sent a jet of ice up to the ceiling, and a melody filled the room. It bounced of the walls, leaving a slight echo. It was a beautiful song, and sounded familiar to Harry. (For those Legend of Zelda players, imagine the Saria's Song) The sound faded, and Harry felt it buzzing in his ears. He lifted the Ocarina to his lips, and began to play. He appeared to be a natural, and had no trouble at all finding the right notes. When he had finished, the Ocarina flashed gold, and then faded. This time, it had five dragons decorating it, all intertwined.

"This melody will summon us. Use it when you are faced with a powerful foe. Now, we will teach you some other songs." And so it went. By the time the dragons were done, he had learned the Song of Healing, which healed any wound, the Song of Passing, which turned day to night and vise-versa, the Song of Time. This was probably the most useful tune, as it would transport the player back in time.

"And now, Harry Potter, it is time for us to part. Your world awaits you. We wish you well, and hope you triumph against the Dark Lord. Farewell, and feel free to come to use if you need advice or a place to hide. Farewell, Harry Potter!"

With that, Harry was swept up into a whirlwind, and was launched back to the cave's entrance. His friends were all startled, and instantly crowded around, peppering him with questions. _Are you all right? Where were you? Who did the voice belong to? What took you so long?_

Harry shook his head in exasperation. "I'll tell you on the way back home. C'mon, it's about time we left. Get a last drink of water, and then we leave." The animals all drank some water, and prepared to leave.

"Well, let's go home." He decided to try out one of his new powers. Concentrating on the air, he began to rise. The animals all let out exclamations. (Godric's was very, er, unique.) Harry decided to answer before the question was asked. "The dragons in the cave taught me a few things. Well, are you going to sit there and stare all day, or are we going home?"

He began to rise again, letting the wind carry him. Essentially, he was just sitting there, riding the wind like it was a broomstick. He pulled out the Ocarina, and began to play around with it, trying to find a tune he liked. The animals were all watching him out of the corner of their eyes.

They journey home was relatively uneventful, but Harry saw the glint again. He marked the location, and made a mental note to investigate that. When he got tired of riding the wind, he started to run through the clouds. It was extremely cold, but felt refreshing.

After a couple of hours, he saw the familiar outline of the Marauder's Manor. He flew toward it, deciding to try something out. Creating a huge slope o ice, he began to slide downward, staying on his feet. He began to go faster and faster, wind whipping his face as gravity pulled him down. Silver tried to slide beside him, but fell and slid around in circles. Harry helped him up, and they helped each other keep balance all the way down. Landing on the lush green grass, Harry sighed. He was home.

Author's Note: Well, what do you think? Please review. And before you put it in your review, I knew it was a little unrealistic, but this is fanfiction, so I can do what ever I want. You don't like it, bite me! Lol. Ferretfriend.


	6. Chapter 6: Of Spells and Secrets

Author's Note: Thanks for all your reviews. This chapter was tough to write, because I was trying to find a good idea that would fit into the main plotline. I've had a lot of stuff going on, so I'm sorry if this chapter took a while to post. Well, hope you enjoy it. Ferretfriend

Harry looked down at his watch. It was 4:00 P.M, so Harry still had some time to kill before dark. He decided he would train some more. It would be good idea to try to hone some of these new skills more. Sure, he had created that ice slide, but he didn't know the full extent of his powers.

Walking inside, Harry walked up the flights of stairs, heading for the training room. He reached it, and looked around. There were several potential spell targets, and the volley wall was glowing. He decided to perfect his ordinary magic first, and turned to the volley wall. It glowed ominously, daring him to try it.

Harry took a deep breath. "Expeliarmus!" The red light shot out of Harry's wand, and slammed into the wall. The wall shot the spell back at twice its original speed, and Harry was forced to dive to the floor. He stood back up, smothering the sparks that had landed in his hair.

He tried again, and had the same result. Again and again he tried, each time almost lighting his hair on fire. He had gotten to where he could dodge okay, but some sparks still got him occasionally. He tried again, but this time didn't get any sparks. He tried again, more confidently, but got a face full of sparks. He had gotten to cocky.

He worked with dodging for a while, dodging various spells sent at different parts of his body. He had improved, but was sporting several burns and bruises. He decided to take a break, sitting down on a chair. He surveyed a cut on his arm, and was about to perform a basic healing spell, but remembered that odd healing power. He had vowed to work on that, so he would.

There was just one problem; he had no idea where to start. He tried envisioning the cut healing itself, prodding it with his wand (This did nothing, except doubling the size of the cut), and holding the cut like he had before. Nothing was working. Frustrated, Harry said, "Oh, just heal, you stupid cut!" To his utter amazement, the cut began to heal. The skin closed around the gash, and turned the same color as the rest of his skin. He mentally told his other cuts to do the same, and was shocked when they did.

He would have worked more on that, but he had just healed all of his cuts and bruises. He had finished dodging, and was confident he could dodge a spell given a millisecond's warning. Now it was time to move onto shields.

Facing the wall, Harry grimaced. This was going to be tough. He raised his wand, preparing to perform a stinging hex. The spell shot out of his wand, and Harry tried to produce a shield. He succeeded, but it was very feeble. The hex shot back, shattering the pathetic shield.

Rubbing his arm where the hex had hit him, he tried again. And again. And again. By the time he was able to block this simple hex, he was completely covered in stinging circles. He performed his healing exercises again, and moved up to the disarming spell. It took him a couple dozen tries, but he was finally able to block it.

He continued, and found that it was getting continually easier. After about an hour, he could deflect all of the more common spells, and even a few of the really mean ones. He was covered with various burns and marks, but he was essentially okay.

He performed his healing spells, and as he did, he noticed something. Looking up at the ceiling, he saw that one patch was a different color than the rest. He rode the wind from the climate control, and investigated. The mysterious patch felt different too, as if it wasn't made of the same thing.

Harry thought it must have been where someone was practicing, and a spell went rogue. But that wasn't right; the room had an auto repair spell. It would have repaired it to its original state. This must have been done on purpose.

Placing his hand against the rough texture, he muttered, "Reducto!" The patch blew apart, showering him with plaster and cement. When the dust had cleared, he looked up and gasped. It was a passage. A secret passage, obviously. Why else would someone want to cover it up? But why did they want to cover it up?

Harry rose into the passage. A thick layer of dust covered everything, and it was extremely dark. Harry resisted the temptation to use his new fire powers, but it was extremely difficult. He only prevailed because a nagging doubt told him he might burn the house down. Flying farther along, he saw a light at the end of the tunnel.

Flying out of the tunnel, he looked around. The room was very dusty. Harry muttered the cleaning spell under his breath, and the room instantly cleaned itself. Looking around, Harry found himself in what looked like a giant study. There was a fine desk at the far side, and books lined every wall, except around a fireplace. Pacing down the row of books, Harry saw a few that looked like they would be very interesting reads. Taking one down, he examined the cover. It was dubbed _Songs for the Sorcerer_.

Opening it up, he looked at the date. It had been written almost six hundred years ago! Poking through the first few pages, he found out a few things. Apparently, music held great magic, and songs were like spells. Songs carried a magic of their own, and muggles could play music, but would get no result. When a wizard played a song, however, mysterious things would happen. Some people had figured out that certain songs got certain results.

Looking down the list, Harry saw several songs that the dragons had taught him, and a few they hadn't.

_The Song of Healing- Heals any wound, no matter the severity._

_The Song of Passing- Turns day into night, and night into day._

_The Song of Time- Transports the player back or forward in time._

_The Song of Storms- Creates a storm instantly, type depending on player's will._

_The Sun's Song- Clears up any storms instantly._

_The Beast Keeper's Song- Calls the player's animal(s) to him/her. Will also calm frightened or angry wild animals. _

_The Wind's Requiem- Changes the direction of the wind_

_Ballad of the Gales- Harnesses the wind, transporting the player to his/her desired spot_

_Minuet of the Forest- Harnesses the power of the forest. Results vary upon power of user._

That was it. There were so many songs there, and Harry had no idea how to proceed. He decided to get some sleep, thinking that would prevent him from acting rashly. He retreated back through the tunnel, and proceeded to his bedroom. He lay down, and fell asleep.

He had a most interesting dream. He was completely surrounded by mist, and was walking aimlessly. He looked down, and saw his feet walking on top of the water. He could hear the waves. He strained his eyes, and saw an outline that looked like it might be land. He kept walking toward it, and it grew larger. Yes, it was definitely land. An island, by the looks of it, but Harry could see the tall outlines of trees.

He awoke with a start, wondering what the dream had meant. It had felt so real, and yet, so impossible. Harry put the dream in the back of his head, and went downstairs for some breakfast. Hohn was there, perched on top of the sugar bowl. _Good Morning, Harry. How are you?_ Harry smiled at the ever-thoughtful phoenix, and was about to reply when Godric's voice spoke out. "Hey, c'mon! I don't know how to work this kitchen myself! Let's have some grub!"

Mira snorted, resulting in a puff of smoke. _You're fat enough, griffin. How about saving some food for the bigger, and better looking I might add? _Godric puffed up his feathers indignantly. _Better looking? I think not, you oversized lizard!_ And so the banter went. Silver watched amusedly, and Hohn seemed torn between amusement and exasperation.

Harry walked over to the list, and selected _Hogwarts_. The kitchen went to work, dishing out heaping plates of bacon and eggs, sausage, muffins, toast, a ham, and for Hohn, a plate of assorted herbs, including mint. The argument stopped abruptly at the sight of food, and they hurried over, pushing each other out of the way. (Well, throwing, but it's all fun and games, right?)

As they ate, Silver piped up. _What are you going to do today, Harry? _Harry thought. He wanted to try out some of these new songs, just to make sure he had it down before moving on to more new material. "I was going to experiment with some new spells outside. Wanna come?" Silver nodded, and resumed eating.

After breakfast, Harry got up from the table and walked outside. It was a beautiful day, and Silver stretched happily. Besides him, Godric and Mira had resumed their argument. Harry took the Ocarina of Dragons out of his pocket, and recalled the notes from the page.

Raising the ocarina to his lips, Harry began to play the Song of Storms, and as he did, thick clouds began to develop. As he repeated the melody, a clash of lightning flashed overhead, and thunder boomed out. The wind was howling, whipping at their faces.

Changing the tune, Harry began to play the Sun's Song. Instantly the storm began to dissolve. In another moment, it was gone completely, and the sun was shining again. Harry stopped his song, and pondered which one to try next.

Making up his mind, Harry began to play the Minuet of the Forest. All of a sudden, a tree popped up beside him, and began to blossom. Nothing could have prepared him for what happened next. He looked down at the Ocarina, and saw that the hands clutching it were green.

He stopped playing, but his hands continued to glow. After a few seconds, they faded back to their normal color. His hands were back to their normal appearance, but something felt odd inside Harry. He was renewed, as if some power had recharged him. He had felt the same way when the dragons had given him their powers.

He tried playing the song again, but this time, nothing happened. He tried again, but still had no result. Growing frustrated, said, "Work, you stupid song! C'mon, summon a tree, or even a weed!" To his surprise, a tree appeared. Harry was completely thrown by this. How on earth did the tree just pop up? He wasn't playing the song at the time. The song… What did it say? _Results vary upon power of user?_ Well, this must have been the result. But what on earth did he do, that tree just popping up? He thought, and could only come up with one conclusion. He must have gotten the powers of the forest. "Strange" he said.

_Yes, strange indeed._ Jumping, Harry looked around. There was no one in sight. The animals had all gone inside, and the only thing close to him was the tree. It suddenly made a swishing noise, and Harry could make out words. _Yes, it is strange that you can speak to a tree. Very few have been able to do that before. Oh, I see you have an instrument! Did you play the Minuet of the Forest?_

Harry nodded, and held up the Ocarina. The tree again made the swishing noises. _That explains it. A may have just been created, but I know everything your average tree knows. If you got these powers from the song, then you should be able talk to all plant life. I do not know what good this will do you though. Very rarely do flowers or bushes have wisdom to give. But enough of this; Come, put your hand on my trunk._

Harry walked forward tentatively, and put his hand on the trunk. _What do you hear?_ "I hear nothing, but I feel is the bark. It's very smooth." The tree swished its branches again. _Listen not with your ears, young human. Listen with your heart. Feel the inside, pulsing with life. Listen to its vibrations, open your heart._

Harry stopped straining his ears, and concentrated on what he could feel. He felt the bark, and tried harder. He was about to give up when he heard a small _thump_. He tried again, and heard a steady beat. It was like the tree had a heart, a heart that was beating. He listened farther, and felt a pulsing spirit. It was so fast, so alive.

He took his hand off of the tree, and closed his eyes, thinking about what he had just felt. It was as if someone had just pulled a wad of cotton out of his ears. He suddenly heard sounds, pulsing, rapid, and over-lapping. He listened, and recognized a pattern. It was like that of the tree. He became used to the beating, and everything was like it had been. Yet when he tried, he could still fell the beat of life. For that was what it was. Everything around him was alive in some way, and he had heard their spirits.

By now, the sun was beginning to set. The normally blue sky was dyed yellow orange. Spotting a large beech tree, Harry began to climb. Climbing up to the top, he surveyed the setting sun, lost in thought. Truly, magic was an amazing thing. It wasn't just spells or fancy wand handling. Magic itself was alive, and seemed to be a person of its own, like a spirit.

The sun was setting further, and flecks of purple joined the canvas of color. Magic was like a current, like a stream. It traveled through everything, and left its mark on everything it touched. It carried echoes of events, bringing them to other places. Everything was alive in some way. Even the stones, which could not move and did not have a heartbeat, were alive. And yet, if one listened, truly listened, then they would hear the world like it really is.

The sun had set by now, but Harry wasn't tired. Instead of going back to bed, he walked back up to his study. He lit a fire in the fireplace, and took down a book. Sitting down on the comfortable couch, he began to read. It was very interesting. It was on Merlin, and told of his younger years. He had started out a poor boy, an outcast from the local boys because of the strange things that he made happen.

One day, another boy tried to kill him and his mother. His powers came to his aid, and a fire had prevented their death, at the costs of Merlin's eyes. At the time, he called himself Emrys. He recovered, and left to find his home. He arrived at a place called Fincayra, a magical place neither wholly of earth nor wholly of heaven. It was a sort of in between place.

At this point, his history was completely blanked out, and the next page told of Merlin traveling to Brittan, several years older and now bearing the name Merlin. Harry was mystified, and wondered what could have happened, and why it had been erased.

Putting his book down, Harry glanced at his watch. It was only 9:45, so he decided to do some stargazing. He traveled up to the tower, and looked around. There were star charts all around, all from various times. He started at the beginning of the line, on a chart that was from the time of Christ.

Continuing down the line, he saw changes in the charts. Certain stars had disappeared, and other had been born. Among the missing stars was one called Helion. It had gone nova roughly seven hundred years ago. He memorized the constellations, and learned the paths of certain things like comets and asteroids. Moving to the giant telescope, he looked at a bright blue star. Looking it up on the chart, he saw that it was called Sandon.

After looking at the stars for an hour, he prepared to go down. Before he went, he saw something that caught his eye. It looked like a small telescope, and could fit in the palm of his hand. Looking through it, he received a shock. It was just as powerful as the telescope he had just looked through.

He took it down to his room, and put it in his trunk. Yawning, he lay down to sleep. He was tired, and couldn't stop thinking of what had happened earlier with the tree. He practiced an occlumency technique, closing his mind to unwelcome dreams. With that, he fell into a deep sleep.

Again, he had a dream. Strangely enough, it was the exact same dream. This time he got a little closer to the island, some of the trees coming into sharper focus. He awoke with a start again, and got up. He was hungry, and wanted food. He trudged down to the kitchen, where he saw all off his friends.

Something was different. Hohn the phoenix fluttered down on his shoulder, and trilled a good morning. Harry just stared, and when Hohn asked what he was staring at, Harry replied. "Do you know you're glowing?"

Hohn gave him a look of surprise, and looked himself down and front. Sure enough, the phoenix was glowing a vivid red. To his immense surprise, the phoenix shook his head. _What are you talking about? I'm not glowing._

Harry looked to his friends for support, but saw that they were glowing too. Looking down at his own hands, he saw they were shining a bright white. He tried to register this, and couldn't come up with a conclusion. Thinking back to yesterday afternoon, he remembered the tree's lesson. Hohn have a little song, and Harry could see the sound waves, shining that same vivid red. But phoenix song wasn't sound. It was magic. He could see magic! That must be the glow! Each animal's magical aura!

He sat down at the table, and began to eat is breakfast. Looking up at his friends, he said, "Well, today I'm going to try to find something. Something important, It's called the Gateway."


	7. Chapter 7: The Gateway

Author's Note: Did you like the cliffhanger? (Evil grin) Well, I'm getting closer and closer to the main plotline. I got a lot of nice reviews, thanks. I want to comment on some of the reviews, so here goes.

To Draco'sLovergirlever: Glad to know someone has read _Lost Years of Merlin_. There's a lot of stuff in my story I took out of that. The other readers won't understand, but you should. I said I wouldn't tell who was going to be with Harry; Well, I won't. I will give you a hint. She's from the _Lost Years of Merlin_ series. Can you guess who it is? Anyway, why the poisonous snake? I thought about giving him a basilisk, but that would be difficult to write. How would he look at the thing? Maybe I'll find something. To tell the truth, I completely forgot about the other cub. Let's say it decided to find a mate.

To Meris: Well, I'm glad you like my writing. Do me a favor though, and don't read my first attempt at a story. It's way too sappy. Thanks.

Well, I hope you guys like the chapter. Don't forget to review. Ferretfriend

"Well, today I'm going to try to find something. Something important. It's called the Gateway." Hohn the phoenix looked up, intrigued. _It sounds very mysterious. What makes it so important?_ Harry shrugged. "I don't really know. It supposedly has some pretty powerful items in there, and Voldemort's been looking for it. Guess that makes it important."

Silver looked up too. _When I was running, I heard the other animals speaking. They said there was a place they avoided, a place of incredible power. Some animals tried to investigate, but there was only one survivor. The poor thing had gone insane, and kept muttering about the guardians. At night, you could hear him screaming. _

Harry's heart sank somewhat at the ominous news. But then again, the Gateway was sure to have a guardian or some sort of defense. Godric gave a joke at Mira's expense. _Well, if we run into trouble, we could just have old scaly skin over there sit on the enemy. _Mire shot Godric a glare that made his chowder curdle.

"That's enough, guys. We need to get going. I have a place where I want to search. Silver, do you think we could talk to the animals you spoke of?" Silver nodded. _I remember where the place was. I will take you there, but be warned, the animals there do not trust easily. If given any reason to not trust us, they will do so gladly. _

"Right, I'll keep that in mind. Lead on, Silver." With tat, Silver began to walk toward the door. Hohn, Godric, and Mira all left their seats to follow. When they reached the front yard, Silver broke into a run. Harry rode the wind upward, enjoying the sense of flight. Behind him, he could see his other three friends.

Looking down, he saw Silver running. Following the trail, he rode his jet of air. Silver was darting back and forth, narrowly avoiding trees. Godric and Mira had, yet again, begun an argument, and Hohn seemed troubled by something. Keeping his eyes on Silver, Harry spoke.

"Something on your mind, Hohn?" Hohn looked up quickly. _How did you know? _Harry chuckled, and said, "Well, you're much quieter than usual. Something is bothering you." Hohn sighed. _Yes, I am troubled. Many things have been weighing on my mind of late. And all this business with the Gateway…We know so little about it. I'm…_

"Afraid." Hohn looked up suddenly. _How did you know that?_ Harry raised an eyebrow. "You just said it." _No I didn't. I was about to, but I never said how I was feeling._ Harry frowned. "But how else would I have known how you were feeling? I can't read minds, you know." _Can't you? Don't be so sure. Often an individual has ability like that and does not know it. Or perhaps you are an empath, one who has the ability to sense feelings. Has anything like this ever happened before?_

Harry thought. Well, he had always been able to guess what people were feeling. When he was little, he had always known the point at which his aunt and uncle would snap. (Crossing it a few times, sure) He looked up at Hohn. "I've sometimes been able to guess how people feel, but it was probably just luck."

Hohn snorted in an undignified manner, very unlike the proper phoenix he usually was. _Luck? Luck my tail feathers! Phoenixes can sense different magical projections, including whenever someone performs empathy or mind reading. I sensed one of the two just now, maybe both. Don't try to tell me you're not either! I can see the magical aura of people, and yours glows more brightly than any other's, even Professor Dumbledore! You have power; you just don't see it. Even with all the powers you've unlocked so far, you still have many hidden. I am curious as to the full extent of these powers, and how you will use them. _

Harry was about to argue, but paused. Was it possible? Was he an empath or a mind reader? He hadn't thought he was a metamorphmagus either, but he was. Maybe this wasn't so different. He looked down at Silver, giving himself some time to think. If he could sense feelings, why was he so miserable on the dating front last year? Empathy would have been extremely helpful.

He turned back to Hohn and said, "Even if I had empathy, how would I know? How would I control it?" Hohn chuckled again. _It varies, but the power often immediately controllable. It just pops into your mind, and stays there. The same goes with mind reading. _

While Harry pondered this, Silver suddenly came to a stop. Looking down, Harry saw that glint he had seen on his previous journeys. He began to glide down, but had a better idea. Turning so his head was lower than his feet, he stopped controlling the wind. He plummeted, free falling toward the ground. Just before he hit the ground, he created a large round pillow, or rather a large patch of powder snow.

Crawling out of the snow, Harry used his fire abilities to warm himself. He turned to Silver, and said, "Is this the place?" Silver nodded, and looked around warily. Again Harry commented. "You're uneasy. Not afraid, but unsure. Why?" Silver didn't question how Harry knew, probably because he was too immersed in his own thoughts.

_Yes. I did not leave this place on the best of terms. When they found out what I was, where I had come from, I was banished. They greatly dislike humans, and considered me as a human spy. Everyone left me, except Jade. She couldn't believe the other animals would condemn me like that, so she left with me. It must have been hard for her, as she grew up here. If she was still alive…_

Harry tried to lighten the mood. "If she was still alive, she'd have your whiskers waxed for moping instead of having fun. C'mon, let's enjoy ourselves, for her sake if no one else's." Silver paused, the look of pain still in his eyes, and then brightened. _You're right. Let's see if we can find the village._

And so they set off, trekking through the jungle, following Silver's "trail". After about an hour, Harry stopped them for a break. Turning to Silver, he said, "You have no idea where you're going, do you?" Silver looked up, and shrugged, _Nope, but I remember it was close to a cave. Oh, and there was a river, too. Listen, can't you hear the water?_

Harry listened, and got an idea. Rising up into the air, he surveyed the landscape. About a mile to the east was a roaring river. Even from the air, he could see various signs of animals. He sunk back down to his friends, and told them the news.

"Well, the river's about a mile that way." He pointed east. "If we hike at a fast pace, we can make it in ten minutes." He started to walk east, and his friends all followed. After ten minutes, they found themselves on the riverbank. Silver looked around wistfully. _The last time I was here, Jade was with me. Well, the village is just up river. _

They walked up river, keeping their eyes peeled for any signs. They were still searching when Silver suddenly stopped. "What is it, Silver?" Silver strode over to a tree, and growled. _This is it. Watch carefully_. Pressing his paw against a knot in the bark, the tree quivered. Instantly, a small hole appeared in a ring of rocks that were there. Silver squeezed through, as did Godric and Hohn. Mira, on the other hand, didn't have it so easy. It was obvious she wouldn't fit, and according to Silver, the hole wouldn't stay open much longer. Harry grabbed her tail and shrunk her, so she was the size of Godric. Darting forward, they squeezed through the hole.

Once inside, they were amazed. It was extremely spacious, and despite its outward appearance, could fit the contents of the Black Vault. The animals all turned at the sudden entrance, and an eerie silence filled the dome.

_The spy has returned._ The speaker was a large bear. _And look, he has brought company. See how a human walks among us! We never should have let you leave!_ Silver's face showed a mix of emotions, and Harry could feel guilt, shame, sadness, and anger. The bear continued to speak. _Ah, look! A phoenix! Maybe now the traitor will listen to some wisdom. _

Hohn, who was ordinarily very well tempered, exploded. (Figuratively) Rising up into the air, he gave a piercing shriek. _HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU CONDEMN HIM FOR WHAT HE IS NOT! WISDOM? HOW ARE YOU TO KNOW WISDOM IF YOU DO NOT KNOW SENSE?_

The bear, taken aback, began to speak again. _Now listen here, humans have been cruel to animals since the very beginning. Listen to me-_ Hohn cut him off, still whistling shrilly. _DON'T YOU TELL ME TO LISTEN, BEAR!_ Calming down slightly, he spoke in his usual tone. _True, humans have shown cruelty in the past. But they also show kindness! The truth is right in front of you; open your eyes! For two hundred years, I was a prisoner. For two hundred years I was a captive of the humans. But then, another human came along, one who cared for animals. He is standing right in front of you. Yes, he freed me from my cage, and Godric as well. _Hohn pointed at the griffin.

_And humans were attacking Mira, the dragon over there. Yet this human attacked them, capturing them. And Silver, he saved his life! A basilisk was attacking silver and his family. The man intervened, and saved Silver's life. He tried to save Jade and the cubs, but was too late. Tell me; are these the acts of cruelty you speak of?_

The bear held a whispered conversation with the other animals, and then spoke again. _We have decided to forgive Silver. He is welcome among us once more. As for the human, he must leave immediately. He is not welcome. He doesn't even know what we're saying!_

Harry cleared his throat, and spoke, "Actually, I can understand every word you're saying. Now listen to me, all of you! War is upon us! The Dark Lord has risen again, and will once again destroy your habitats and enslave you! You must put your dislike of humans aside, and ban together to aid us in the fight against Voldemort!"

There was an immediate uproar. The bear's voice bellowed above everyone's. _WHO ARE YOU TO DECIDE SUCH THINGS, HUMAN! SINCE WHEN DO YOU CONTROL THE FATE OF THE ANIMALS! WE ARE NOT YOUR SERVANTS, AND WILL NOT FIGHT YOUR WAR!_

Harry's anger, which had been so close to the surface, boiled over. "I'LL TELL YOU WHO I AM! MY NAME IS HARRY POTTER, AND I'M SICK OF YOUR INNABILITY TO LISTEN! VOLDEMORT IS BACK, BEAR! HE'S BACK, AND WON'T HESITATE BEFORE UNLEASING HIS CRUELTY AGAIN! Now please, I'm trying to help. If you won't help us, then at least help yourselves. Fortify your defenses, go somewhere else, I don't care. Just be safe. Now, it's apparent I'm not welcome here, so I will leave you be."

With that, he turned to leave, and paused only when a voice called out. _Wait! _Turning, Harry saw a snake. It looked just like a basilisk, only smaller, and Harry hadn't died when he looked into its eyes. _Wait, Harry Potter. I am gifted with what you humans call the sight. Great events I see in your future. You will battle the Dark Lord, but you already know this. Strange, though , is what I see before and afterward. I can see small things, but there is much that is clouded. I feel it is so close, waiting to be revealed, but I mustn't tempt fate. I cannot see the outcome of the final battle, but know it will happen between you and him._

Harry took this in, and could see the animals were too. He turned to the snake, and said, "What type of snake are you?" The snake gave a hiss. _I am a basilisk. You see, the eyes are deadly only when we want them to be. _(Author's Note: I know that's not true, but I couldn't think of another thing to do with the eye issue.) _Before you ask, I am small, yes. This is because I wish to be. _

Turning to the rest of the animals, he hissed again. _You see, like Silver, I too am a creation of the humans'. They created me in a place called the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Like Silver, I escaped, and, like Silver, I have my own special powers not gifted to ordinary basilisks. Whether I received the Sight in this way, I do not know, but I know what else they gave me. _

Turning to Harry, the snake hissed softly. _Harry Potter, I have a request. I ask that you allow me to accompany you. You have earned the trust of a phoenix and Silver, and both are wary of humans. Before you came along, I was insane. I do not know if Silver told you or not, but I was part of a team sent to a mysterious structure. I was the only survivor, and it was as if someone turned out the light. I knew I was alive ,but I didn't know anything else. When I saw you here today, it was as if someone had suddenly turned the light back on. _

Harry surveyed the basilisk. "Okay, if you want to come with me, then you are welcome. I could really use your abilities, not to mention your knowledge of the Gateway." The snake slithered toward him, and turned to his friends. _My name isss Sacri. I wish to be friendsss, and asssk you not to judge me on my ancessstor'sss missstakesss. _

Hohn, who ordinarily hated snakes, fluttered off of Harry's shoulder. Landed next to Sacri, Hohn began to talk to him. Harry would have interrupted, but felt the animals should have a private conversation when they wished. Turning back to the bear, Harry spoke again. " Well, it appears Sacri will be coming with me. I am looking for something. It is called the Gateway. Does anyone here know anything about it?"

The animals eyed him warily, and seemed unwilling to say anything. Harry was sure they knew something, but sighed. He would have to rely on Sacri for information. "Well, thank you for your time. I will find the Gateway, without your help apparently. And please, for your own sakes, follow my advice. Good bye."

With that, he turned to leave. The animals, noticing he was leaving ceased their conversations and followed. As the exit swelled to let them pass, Hohn posed a question. _Were you able to find out anything about the Gateway? _Harry sighed again. "No. They seem most reluctant to help any humans at all." Turning to Sacri, he said, "So, Sacri, any idea where the thing is?" Sacri nodded. _Yesss, I know where it isss. It liesss far to the eassst. I will show you the way. Follow me._

As they walked, (In Sacri's case, slithered) Harry talked to Sacri, hoping to find out more about him. "So, you said you escaped from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. What was it like there?" Sacri looked up, and hissed his reply. _It wasss terrible. Everyone missstrusssted me becaussse I am a basssilisssk. They never showed me any kindnesss. They fed me, yesss, but never cared. It wasss thisss way for many animalsss. When I essscaped, I let a few of the othersss out. Thisss includesss Sssilver. _

Harry digested this information and decided to change the subject to something a bit more cheery. "So, you said you had your own special powers. What are they?" Sacri smiled, glad of the change. _Well, like I sssaid, I am a basssilisssk, but can control my eyesss. If I want them to be deadly, then I can. Alssso, you may have noticed that I am ssmall for a basssilissk. Thisss isss becaussse I wisssh to be. _(Author's Note: The snake accent is too hard to write, so Sacri will speak like the others from this point onward.)_ I am gifted with the power of changing my size. I can swell to the size of a dragon, or be as small as a thread. This is one of the powers given to me by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I can also travel underneath the earth, digging a tunnel as I go. I can move at fast speeds, though not as fast as Silver. Unlike most snakes, I have an unlimited amount of energy. I will never become weary on a journey, and sleep only because I wish to. I can spit my venom like a cobra, and can reverse the effect so it will heal instead of kill. In fact, it can restore life if the deceased died by poison, provided they haven't been dead for more than an hour. It is very acidic, so I must be careful when doing this. _

Harry committed this to memory, and spoke again. "Well, you appear to have many talents. I'm sure you'll be able to use them with me." Sacri nodded, and slithered forward at a faster pace. _We are close now, so very close._ They all sped up so they could catch him, and paused in a clearing.

Sacri had stopped, and the reason was apparent. _We are here._ There was a curious stone structure with interesting shiny materials on top of an arch. That must have been what had made the glint. Harry's attention, however, was focused on two things.

These must have been the guardians Sacri had muttered about in his insane state. Harry couldn't believe that two different animals of extreme rarity were both in the same place. His surprise, however, was muffled at his dread at the confrontation sure to come.

The first animal was a chimera. Its head was the golden mane of a lion, its body was that of a speckled goat, and it had the tail of a Hungarian Horntail. (There were deadly spikes on it) Harry's hearts sank. There had only been one successful slaying of a chimera in the past, and the wizard involved fell to his death from exhaustion.

The second animal was of equal rarity and ferocity. It was a manticore. It had the head of a male human, the body of a lion, and the deadly tail of a scorpion. Harry put the tail on his must avoid list, for its sting caused instant death. Charms would be useless, since manticore skin repels all known charms, save a few.

Together, the two animals posed a great threat. Upon seeing the team, the manticore stepped forward. "You must leave this place now, or suffer the consequences. You are lucky to have approached now, for we have just eaten, and are not hungry. Leave now, and you will be spared."

Harry pushed the fear out of his mind, and said, "Why should we leave? We mean no harm, and wish only to explore the structure. Who are you to stop us?" The chimera shook its mane, and growled. _We are the guardians, puny human. We have guarded this structure in the past, and will continue to do so. Leave, before my patience runs thin. _The manticore laughed at this, and said, "Yes, run human! Run, before we kill you like we did the other intruders! You see that carcass over there? That is a fresh kill."

Harry looked over, and his heart sunk further. It was Silver's cub, the cub that had escaped. He must have passed this way, and was the unfortunate victim of these hunters. Harry's anger swelled again, but before he could do anything, Silver lunged past him, roaring his anger for all to hear.

With that action, hell broke loose. Mira soared into the air, along with Godric and Hohn. She prepared to incinerate the enemies, but paused. She didn't want to risk hitting Silver. Meanwhile, Godric was diving back and forth, scratching with beak and claws. Hohn was singing, and everyone could feel the effect.

Silver was in a fury. The chimera menaced him, but he pressed onward, forcing the chimera back. The manticore darted forward with its tail, but before it could sting him, it was encased in a block of ice, and became too heavy to lift. It dropped to the ground and stayed there, despite the manticore's attempts to lift it.

Harry considered his options briefly. He could use a dragon power, but he might hit one of his friends. There was no other option. Running forward, he changed into a Peruvian Vipertooth. He darted forward, avoiding Sacri and lashing out with his sharp tail point. It grazed the chimera's face, and Harry saw blood pouring out of where its eye had just been. He jumped back, and thought what to do next.

As he did, Sacri swelled to the size of the basilisk Harry had previously faced. He reared up, and shot a jet of venom at the manticore. The manticore dodged, but the venom struck a tree, dissolving its trunk instantly. An idea striking him, Harry reached out to the tree, and brought it slamming down up the manticore. Unfortunately, only the tail was smashed, but that was the manticore's deadliest weapon.

The manticore thrashed around in pain, its tail spewing the venom it so previously held. Harry ducked, but his left hand was hit full on. It dissolved before his eyes, layer by layer. Rage filled him, and he raised his remaining hand at the manticore. "Ares-Zen!" A blue bubble surrounded the manticore. There was absolutely no air inside. The manticore would suffocate. Upon seeing the limp form of Silver's cub, Harry had a better idea. He suddenly removed the spell. Instantly, air rushed to fill the new space. The pressure of all that air was too much for the manticore's body to bear, and it imploded, sending blood everywhere. One down, one to go.

The chimera, however, was not willing to lay down and die. Spurred on by its companion's death, it fought ferociously. Silver received a bad slash to the ribs, and Godric had received a bad bite to the wing, forcing him to land and evade on foot. Hohn had evaded it well enough, and when it tried to attack Mira, she just swatted it down with her tail.

It turned its attention to Harry and lunged forward. Harry quickly rose, but the chimera jumped up, slashing at him. Harry avoided it, but his shirt was badly ripped. Summoning a blast of air, Harry sent the beast rocketing upward. Upon seeing this, Silver used his control over ice to create a stalagmite. It glistened dangerously, and was right in the chimera's path. It couldn't change its path in midair, and fell upon the pointed ice, dying instantly.

Everyone landed and surveyed their wounds. Silver was badly slashed, and one of his ears had been dissolved by the manticore's venom. Mira was relatively unhurt, and Hohn was still in good condition. One of Sacri's eyes had been slashed out, and . Harry had suffered some pretty grievous wounds himself, and quickly pulled out his ocarina. He played the Song of Healing, and smiled as Hohn started to sing along. The two spells merged, and the party was enveloped in a red dome. They shone red for a moment, and then faded back, their wounds healed.

After the dome had disappeared, they turned to face the structure. They took a break, and as they did, Godric poked at the manticore carcass. Looking more closely, Harry saw that he was skinning it. He finished his task, and Harry performed a cleaning spell. It cleaned itself of the blood, and Harry placed it in his Gringotts bag.

Again they surveyed the stone arch. There was a tunnel leading deeper, and there were stairs. Walking forward, Harry began to descend the stairs. As he walked, torches along the walls lit themselves. Continuing the descent, Harry saw a glow at the end of the stairs. Reaching the glow, he surveyed the room.

The glow was being produced by thousands of crystals, and there was another door at the far side of the room. Walking forward, Harry surveyed the door. The next room was amazing!

On the far wall, a stain glass window telling of something that had happened or would happen. On the left, there were weapons. Battle axes, spears, bows, maces, swords, daggers; they were all there. One a plaque on the wall, a magnificent sword glistened, its sheath just below it. A golden plate beneath it read _Excalibur: Sword of Merlin_. Reaching for the blade, Harry walked toward it. He lifted it off of its plaque, and examined it.

The blade shone brightly, despite the layer of dust that had covered it. Harry blew off the dust, and looked at the hilt. It looked like gold, but was stronger, lighter, and shone with a light that seemed to come from some unknown place.

Looking to his right, Harry saw a suit of mesh. He put it on and surveyed himself. Even as watched, the mesh melted into his clothing. It was as if he had never put it on, but Harry knew it was still there.

Directly across from where Harry was, he could see other garments, and many scrolls. He wandered over, and his gaze was captured by one thing: Merlin's Staff. It was made of a fine beech wood, and had many things cluttered upon it. There were seven symbols, runes, and what looked like teeth marks. Harry walked over to it, and examined it further. Using his new powers from his chat with the tree, Harry closed his eyes. Clearing his mind and opening his heart, he opened his eyes. The staff was glowing a bright blue, and seemed to pulse, energizing everything around it.

Reaching forward, Harry closed one hand around it. As he did, the staff's aura suddenly began to change. It began to glow even brighter, and the blue aura turned to a deep emerald green. The blue colored returned, but the green was not willing to leave without a fight. The two colors swirled around each other, before colliding, forming a vivid turquoise. The turquoise color enveloped Harry, and he felt a surge of raw magical energy. Looking down at the staff, he saw it flash turquoise, and watched as another symbol appeared. It was the shape of a lightning bolt.

Looking around, Harry saw several scrolls that held deep spells. On these old pieces of parchment were the darkest secrets of wizardry. Harry picked many of them up, and placed them inside his bag. Turning to his right, Harry examined the stain glass story. It showed a figure clutching Merlin's Staff, and Harry realized that this must have been Merlin himself.

The stain glass Merlin was on an island. It was covered in mists, and Harry felt an odd feeling. It looked familiar. It showed Merlin emerging from the island, many years older, and waving good-bye to someone on the shore. It showed him coming to this place, building it himself. At the end, a new figure was introduced. It was tall, and had black hair. His eyes were green, and he had…

Harry gasped. It was himself! There was Hohn, sitting on his shoulder. All around him were his friends. It showed him coming to this place, but in the next part, he was gone. This puzzled Harry, and the only thing he found was a small poem.

Ye who braved the guardians' test Who won the battle, who came out best Another challenge, now I bring 

_And listen whilst thy phoenix sings_

Listen now, do as told And ye will meet a wizard of old 

_Recite the words, speak them well_

_If ye fail you'll face a hell_

_Here are the words: _

_**Hy gododin catann hue**_

_**Hud a lledrith mal wyddan**_

_**Gaunce ae bellawn wen cabri**_

_**Varigal don Avalon**_

Dravia, dravia Avalon 

All at once, a fierce wind began to blow throughout the cave. It circled Harry and his friends, and increased its speed. A blinding flash lit the room, and Harry Potter was gone.

Author's Note: Okay, for all you _Lost Years of Merlin readers_, I know its Fincayra, and the spinning castle is already gone, but I needed some sort of phrase. Throw me a bone here. Well, where did Harry go? (Evil grin) I love keeping you guys in suspense. Bwa-ha-haha! No flames, no flames! Well, make sure to review. Ferretfriend


	8. Chapter 8: Avalon

Author's Note: Well, I got some pretty good reviews, and hope you all have enjoyed the story so far. This chapter was tough to write, because I have no idea what Avalon is like. I guess I'll just make it like Fincayra. Well, I'd like to thank some of the reviewers.

To Shion20: Merlin and Harry will meet. I sent him to Avalon, but decided to make it like Fincayra. Actually, I had the idea that Fincayra hasn't split off yet, and is just called Avalon.

Oh, I almost forgot! I made a mistake in the last chapter. Merlin's Staff is made out of hemlock wood, not beech. Also, I got a pretty mean review, and I really hate flames. I understand constructive criticism, but there's no need to be nasty. If you don't like my story, don't read it. It's as simple as that. Sorry again for taking so long to update. I've been trying to set up my new lab top.

Wind and light, along a swirl of other sounds, were rushing around Harry Potter and his animal friends. All around him, Harry could see flashes of things that looked like places and people. He saw a few wars, and many different events. After about a minute of this, he appeared in some water. A mouthful told him it was the ocean by its saltiness.

He looked around at his friends. Silver had already created a platform of ice, and was resting on it. Hohn and Godric had taken to the air, but Mira was not so lucky. It was a known fact that most dragons couldn't swim. (Godric was loving this, by the way.) She had tried to fly, but couldn't gain the momentum. Thinking fast, Harry imitated Silver and produced an ice platform, one strong enough to hold a dragon. Looking around, Harry wondered where Sacri was. Hearing a hiss, he looked down. Sacri had shrunken, and was coiled around Harry's arm. Sacri uncurled, and slithered/swam to Silver's ice. He slithered up and curled around Silver, who seemed to appreciate the extra warmth.

Harry was soaked himself, and decided to swim a bit. Changing into a sea otter, he frolicked about. (Author's Note: Funny image. Sea otter with spiky black hair and glasses. Lol.) When he was tired, he changed back into a human. Instead of conjuring an ice block, he conjured a raft of pine trees. It had a pleasant smell about it, and reminded him of the Marauder's Manor.

Drifting along, Harry scanned the horizon. On the distance, he could see a vague shape, but it was shrouded in mist. He decided they weren't going fast enough, so he conjured a motor. Attaching this to the back of his raft, he prepared to gun it. He paused, realizing his friends would be left behind if he did that. He quickly conjured a strong rope, and tossed an end to each of the two rafts. They secured it, and Harry secured the middle of the rope along the front of his triangular raft.

He gunned the motor, and off they went. They made pretty good time, too. Around noon, the mists had cleared somewhat, and they were hungry. Harry conjured them some food, but it left something to be desired. He would have to work on that. They ate in relative quiet, with the exception of Godric and Mira. When Silver had finished eating, he began to play with his ice power, forming different shapes in the water. Sacri was in a trance, and Hohn was whistling. Godric and Mira were arguing again, and Harry decided not to get involved.

Sacri suddenly came out of his trance, and hissed. _A spirit approaches._ Harry looked around. All he could see was the wind, but it was behaving strangely. It also had a magical aura, which was unusual for most winds. It swirled around him softly, and he felt warmer. A voice, sounding very much like the wind through the trees spoke, saying, "You are a stranger, young one. You have a great destiny about you, yet much is hidden. Mysterious. I am Arya, a sister of the wind. I come and go, never staying in one place for too long, for all winds must travel. What is your name, young one?"

Harry looked up at where the wind seemed the strongest, and could have sworn he saw a face. He cleared his throat, and answered. "My name is Harry Potter. Tell me, do you know where I am?"

The wind spoke again. "Yes, you are about one hundred miles off the coast of Brititanica. I would like to speak more with you, but the wind must fly. Until we meet again, Harry Potter." She drifted away, and Harry was left to think about her.

Looking up, Harry saw that the island was distinctively closer. He could make out a few shapes, including a line of trees, a river, and some dunes. The motor was still going, creating a background of soft noise. Eventually it became distracting, and Harry put a Silencing Charm on it. He watched the horizon, keeping check of how close the island was.

The island was close now, so very close. Harry grew impatient, and summoned a strong wind. He vanished the motor, and prepared to land ashore. The sand, he could see, was a fine grain. There were many shells, and he could see various colors like pink, purple, and white.

He looked around, and saw a few vines creeping along the shore. He climbed with his friends to the top of a tall dune, and gasped at the sight. There was a dense forest, where birds flew about the tops of the towering trees. On the horizon were the misty shapes of hills, and the forest turned from green to blue. Little streams came out of the forest, merging into one great river that cascaded toward the ocean.

Harry began to descend the dune with his friends, and before he had reached the bottom, was running, laughing with the animals. He reached the forest, and began to explore. It was very beautiful, and a fragrant smell hung on the air. He breathed it in, and savored it. Using his staff as a walking stick, Harry explored. He heard the sound of running water, and decided to get a drink. The animals looked like they were thirsty.

He followed the sound, and soon found the stream. The clearing was mossy, and rocks were along the stream. Harry bent down and tasted the water. It was very cold, and Harry splashed some on Mira. Mira turned sharply. _Who did that?_ Harry struggled to keep a straight face, and said, "It was Godric." Godric opened his beak to protest, but was engulfed in a wave from Mira. Harry laughed, and looked at the sky. Night was approaching, but they still had another two hours of daylight left.

"Hey, guys! How 'bout we make camp here?" They all agreed, and Harry left to try to find some fruit or vegetation. He was walking along, taking in everything like a sponge. Harry had the most peculiar sensation. He felt as if someone was watching him, but could neither see nor sense anyone. As he walked, a rustling seemed to follow him. Due to the thick trees, there was not much light. The forest was very dim, and Harry decided to climb a tree in order to see where he was and where he wanted to go. He climbed up the trunk of a tall pine, and looked around.

A sudden movement to his left distracted him. What looked like a pile of leaves was hoping from branch to branch, and landed on the ground. It laughed, and a bell-like sound filled his ears. Suddenly, a leafy branch came out of it. It wasn't a branch at all. It was an arm, an arm wearing a garb of what looked like vines and leaves. Harry leaned forward to watch the girl, for it was obviously that. All of a sudden, the branch he was leaning on gave way, and he plummeted downward. He landed with a thud, and looked up.

He was looking into the eyes of the girl. They were a mix of blue and gray, and were alive with emotions. Using his empathy powers, Harry sensed a variety of emotions: Anger, surprise, curiosity, and suspicion. She muttered a whispering command in a strange, rustling language. The tall trees behind him reached forward with their branches, trying to hold him. He did a handspring to the left, drawing Excalibur as he went.

He stood, raising the blade in front of him in a ready stance. The girl surveyed him warily, and tried again to contain him with the trees. He jumped aside again, and held his staff with his left hand at a diagonal angle. He held Excalibur in his right, and brandished it.

He suddenly flung the sword at her, and she ducked. She glared at him, and began to rush forward to fight. Before she reached him, Harry put up his hand, and pointed to where the sword had landed. She turned, and gasped.

There, among a few ferns, laid the body of a giant rat. Its teeth were sharp as dagger points, and it must have been at least four feet tall. Excalibur was embedded in it, and blood poured out of the wound. The girl turned to look at Harry, and regarded him with a confused gaze. She spoke, and her voice carried through the clearing.

"Who are you? Why have you come here?" Harry cleared his throat, and spoke, choosing his words carefully. "My name is Harry, and I did not mean to come here. I just appeared in the ocean, and used a raft to get here. Who are you?"

She relaxed a little, but still regarded him with suspicion. "My name is Rhia." All of a sudden, a tree seized Harry. Harry hadn't been expecting an attack, and was caught unaware in the tree's grasp.

"Well, you have broken the law of the Druma, at any rate. Outsiders are not allowed in here. Tell me, how do you plan on getting out of this one?" She smirked at him as he struggled against the oppressive tree, but to no avail.

"Let me go!" Rhia walked up to him. "My, my, aren't you the commanding one! And what nice manners you have! I day or two here shall curve your tongue." She turned to leave. Harry considered using his powers, but a voice inside his head told him not to.

A very strange ting had happened while Rhia had been speaking. The Galator had glowed green against his chest, and he could feel its magical energy adding onto his own. This gave him an idea. "Please, in the name of… the Galator."

She turned sharply, and surprise was visible on her face. "How do you know that word? What do you know of the Galator?" Harry paced himself, careful not to reveal anything. "I don't know much. I don't know how it works, or what it does."

She sighed. "I expected as much. Tell me, how did you learn of the Galator?" There it was. Now Harry was in trouble. How would he get out of this one? "I read about it in a book." She scanned him for a moment, trying to decide if he was telling the truth or not, but decided he was. The branches suddenly released him, and he fell onto his knees.

"Very well. I believe you, uh, Harry." As she walked forward to help him up, she looked him over. His hair was black as soot. As he looked up, she gazed at his eyes, taken aback by their startling emerald color. Her mind raced back to when Dagda had told her the prophecy.

"Uh, is something wrong?" She was shaken out of her trance by Harry's voice. She just shook her head, but Harry glanced at her a bit concerned. He walked over to Excalibur, wiping it on the ferns. Once it was clean, he sheathed it.

He turned to Rhia, and flashed her a smile. "So, want to meet my friends?" Rhia suddenly looked suspicious again. "There are others? Other outsiders?" Harry smiled faded a bit at this, but he brought it back up. "Well, I guess they're outsiders, but I really think you would like them if you gave them a chance." She looked nervous, but nodded her head. Harry's smile widened, and he gave a shrill whistle.

As soon as the sound left his lips, they could hear his friends approaching. Wind suddenly swept their hair back as Mira's powerful wings beat the air, pushing gusts of it down. Silver, due to his unnatural speed, was already there. Godric was flying alongside Mira, and Hohn was flying through the trees, rather than above them. A small hole appeared in the ground, and Sacri slithered out, his beady eyes taking in everything.

Harry smirked at Rhia's stunned look, stroked Hohn as he trilled a question. _Who is your friend, Harry? _The other animals voiced their curiosity as well, and Harry introduced them. "Godric, Mira (_Ha! He said my name first, dragon! Guess we know who's more important!)_, Silver, Sacri, Hohn; this is Rhia. Rhia, this is… well, you get the point. These are my friends."

Rhia surveyed them, taking in their noticeable features, including wings. "What exactly are they? I mean, I know Mira is a dragon, and Sacri's a snake, but what are the others?" Harry smiled again and explained. "Well, Silver here is a tiger. Godric, the one with the eagle's head, is a griffin, and Hohn, the bird, is a phoenix."

Rhia took all this in and said, "Well, it's nice to meet you guys. Where are you staying?" Harry pointed towards where the river was, and said, "Our camp is just over that hill, by the river." Rhia began to walk. "Want to see where I live?" Harry shrugged. "Sure."

And off they went, following a path through the trees. Rhia seemed to know where she was going, and Harry struck up a conversation. "So, how long have you lived here?" Rhia answered immediately. "All my life. It used to have a different name though." "What was that name?" Rhia paused, and then said, "Fincayra."

Harry gasped. "Fincayra? Are you serious? I read about that place once. How on earth did I get here?" Rhia shrugged, and they continued to walk. The sun was beginning to set, and Harry turned to Rhia. "Want to watch the sunset?" Rhia looked around. "How? We're surrounded by trees."

For an answer, Harry began to climb. Rhia caught on, and she too began to climb the tree. They made it to the top, and rested in the large branches, surveying the blend of colors. Rhia seemed lost in thought, and Harry posed a question. "What are you thinking about?"

Rhia took a moment before answering. "Nothing in particular, just thinking. Sunsets always calm my nerves." Harry raised an eyebrow. "You lied. You are thinking about a certain thing. If you don't want to tell me, just say so." Rhia looked at him sharply. "How did you know I was lying?" Harry just smiled a mysterious smile.

By now, the stars had come out, and Harry looked at the stars, recognizing different ones and constellations. But something was not right. Surveying the sky, he saw a star that was in the wrong place. He pulled out his pocket telescope, and zoomed in on the star, muttering under his breath. Rhia noticed this and asked, "What is it? Why are you muttering?"

Harry didn't seem to hear her. He was saying things like, "It can't be." Or "It's not possible." Rhia finally got fed up, and poked, or rather jabbed his side. He looked at her. She decided to change the subject. "So, where did you say you were from?" Harry glanced up at the sky one more time before answering, and when he did, he could hardly believe his own words. "Not where. When."

Rhia tilted here head. "That is an unusual answer. What do you mean, when?" For an answer, Harry pointed up at the sky. You see the star I'm pointing at, the bright red one? It's called Helion. The thing is, that star was destroyed over seven hundred years ago. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I've somehow traveled through time!"

Rhia surveyed Harry, and could tell he wasn't joking. Again, her mind fixed on Dagda's prophecy. "So, you're from the future?" Harry just nodded, barely believing it himself. "I think we'd better talk to my brother. He's a wizard, he might no what's going on." Harry brightened. "Really? He's a wizard? So am I! I would love to meet him!"

Rhia grinned at Harry's enthusiasm. "Well, he's coming to visit tomorrow. In the meantime, how 'bout we go back to where I live?" Harry nodded, and they began to walk again. On the way, Harry filled her in on his friends. "Well, they're all very brave. Silver and Sacri were actually created by my government. Silver's extremely fast, and can control ice. Sacri, on the other hand, is much more deadly. If he wishes, his look can kill. Also, his venom is lethal, but fortunately, he can reverse the effect. When reversed, it will cure any injury caused by a poison of some sort. It will work on other injuries too, but not as well as Hohn's tears. You see, phoenix tears are powerful healing substances. One drop can cure just about anything, including basilisk venom. That's what Sacri is, by the way. Also, Sacri can change his sized and tunnel underground at a fast speed."

As they walked past a towering pine, they heard a cry. Turning to his right, Harry saw a group of three people. He walked forward, and said, "Are you all right?" They looked pale and shaky, and one said, "Help us, please, before it happens again. You must help us!" Harry looked them over with alarm. "Before what happens again? You need to be more specific!"

But Harry's question was answered for him. A cloud shifted in the dark sky, revealing a full moon. The beams of light fell through a gap in the trees, right onto the trio. They froze, and began twisting violently. As he watched, their limbs began to lengthen, and their faces grew into long snouts. A dread filled Harry as he realized what was happening. Never taking his face of the changing humans, Harry shouted at Rhia. "What are you waiting for? Run! I hold them off!"

Rhia, however, was rooted to the spot with terror shinning in her eyes. Harry had no choice. He would have to defend her. The werewolves reared, letting loose a blood curdling howl apiece. They instantly formed a circle around Harry, and paced. Their eyes were blood red, and they looked very hungry. Readying his staff, he prepared to ward them off. One lunged, but he smacked it in the face with his staff. It let out a yelp and backed up, resuming its circling. The other two lunged at him, but he threw himself on the ground, swinging in an arc with his staff. As he did, he heard a sickening crack, and the unlucky werewolf flew into a tree, and slumped to the bottom. The other two were enraged by this, and attacked again with a vengeance.

Harry readied his staff again, and shouted at Rhia, telling her to run. She still didn't move, and he was forced to draw his attention back to the werewolves. He sighed. He couldn't keep this up all night. Bringing the staff in close, he began to mutter an incantation. Wind began to blow around him, swirling in a vortex. One of the werewolves tried to lunge at him, but was caught in the swirling wind. It was thrown against a rock, where it laid crumpled. There was only one werewolf left now.

Sensing an easier target, the werewolf turned to Rhia. Realizing what it was about to do, Harry dived in front of Rhia, just as the werewolf leaped. Harry felt its teeth sink into his shoulder, and cried out in pain. The werewolf clung on, or tried, because Harry's rage had been kindled. He grabbed the werewolf by its hind legs and slammed it on the ground. He levitated it, and threw it high into the air. He whispered a command to a bendy beech tree, and it bended as far as it could, its leaves touching the ground. As the werewolf fell back to the ground, the tree snapped back to its normal position, catapulting the falling menace. As it passed through the air, Harry smacked it on the back of the skull. It crashed into the earth, leaving a trail. It did not rise again. Turning to Rhia, he flashed her a weak smile, and collapsed.

When Harry woke up, the first thing he saw was a pair of eyes. They had tears in them, and were grayish blue. Harry sat up, and as he did, a pair of arms threw themselves around him. "Oh, thank Dagda! You're alive! I thought you had died!" She suddenly realized where her arms were and quickly released him, blushing furiously.

Harry grinned cheekily at her. "Hey, it's going to take more than that to kill me off." She rolled her eyes, and gave him a glass of water. "Here, drink this. It will help. It has a medicine in it that will help that wound heal." As he drank the medicine, which tasted oddly of some unknown fruit, he saw her watching him out of the corner of his eye. He finished the medicine, and turned to her.

"Any particular reason you're watching me?" She looked away, but returned her gaze after a moment. "Well, I was wondering… Why did you jump in front? When the werewolf jumped at me, why did you take the blow?" Harry thought for a while before answering. "I thought it was the right thing to do. After all, the gentleman is supposed to protect the lady." He flashed her another cheeky smile, and looked around. "Where am I?"

Rhia smiled, and said, "You're in my house." Looking around, Harry saw he was in what looked like a cottage suspended between four giant oak trees. Smaller trees lower down filled them in, and the four trunks merged farther up. Taking in his surroundings, he observed the house. There was a set of stairs going down, but Harry couldn't see an exit.

Inside the house, it was the typical cottage. The main room had a table, some very comfy looking chairs, and various decorations. On the wall was a fireplace that gave of an intense light. What was strange about it was he fact that it gave off no heat. Looking more closely, he realized that the light was really a bunch of beetles that emitted a light of their own.

To the left, Harry could see an open door to the kitchen. To his right, their was a staircase leading up to what Harry presumed was a bedroom. He was lying on a couch-like structure, with a warm silk blanket covering him. Sitting on a chair next to the fireplace was an elderly woman. She looked somewhat like Rhia, except her eyes where a vivid sapphire. He smiled at him as he looked her way, and Harry introduced him.

"Harry, this is my mother. Mother, this is Harry." The women interrupted, saying, "Please, just call me Elen. You don't need to call me Ms. Elen, or anything, just Elen. As Rhianonn just said, I'm her mother." Rhia slapped her forehead in exasperation. "Mom! I told you not to call me that in front of other people!" Harry just grinned, and rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Oh goody! Blackmail!" Rhia shot him a death glare, but couldn't keep a straight face for long. She burst out laughing, tears pouring out of her eyes.

When they had stopped laughing, Rhia's face turned grave. "What was that thing that attacked us?" Harry's face turned just as grave, if not more so. "It's called a werewolf. Basically, it's a human with a curse. Whenever the light from the full moon hits a cursed individual, he/she transforms. They become a wolf-like creature, and seek out humans to bite, thus creating more werewolves."

Rhia's face went pale. "Oh Dagda! You were bitten!" Harry's hand went to his shoulder, were he could still feel the marks from the werewolf's teeth. "Yeah, I was. By the way, who exactly is this Dagda character?" Rhia waved her hand distractedly. "Oh, Dagda is a spirit. But that's not the point. Is there a cure for a werewolf's bite?"

Harry sighed. "None that my time knows of. I know something that might work, but I'm not sure. Could you pass me my bag?" She handed him his bag, and he pulled out the Ocarina. Rhia looked puzzled. "What's that?"

Harry didn't answer. Instead, he raised it to his lips, and began to play the Song of Healing. Nothing happened. He sighed. "Ah, well. I tried." Rhia was now thoroughly confused. "What was that all about? What did you try? What was supposed to happen?" Harry explained dejectedly. "The tune I just played was the Song of Healing. It was supposed to cure my wounds, but I guess it doesn't work on werewolf bites. Bummer."

Rhia seemed lost in thought, and suddenly brightened up. "I know! Maybe my brother can help! He knows all sorts of healing spells. He'll be here in a couple of hours. In the meantime, tell me more about yourself. What's the future like?"

Harry paused before speaking, wondering were to begin. "Well, I live in a place called Britain, but I think it was called Britanica in the past. My technical home was a place called Privet Drive. My aunt, uncle, and cousin live there."

Rhia posed a curious question. "What are they like?" Harry made a face. "Terrible. They hate magic in any form, and blame me for anything that happens. In fact, before I knew I was a wizard, they did. They tried to keep me as downtrodden as they could, so as to stomp the magic out of me."

Rhia asked another question. "If they're so bad, why don't you stay with your parents?" Harry's eyes began to tear. "They're dead. They were killed by Lord Voldemort. You see, Voldemort is an extremely evil wizard. He had been o an evil campaign against society for many years. He killed my parents one night, and then tried to kill me. That's how I got this." He pushed his bangs up, revealing his lightning shaped scare.

She traced it with her finger before asking more questions. "So, why did he want to kill you in the first place? Does he just like killing?" Harry looked apprehensive. Before answering, he posed a question of his own. "Can I trust you?" Rhia looked blank. "What?" Harry repeated himself. "Can I trust you?" Rhia nodded, and said, "Of course you can. Why?" Harry sighed and began to explain.

"Well, you see, there's something about me, something very few people know. Before I was born, someone made a prophecy. This prophecy described someone who had the power to defeat Lord Voldemort. Apparently, the Dark Lord would mark him as his equal, and the person would have powers that the Dark Lord doesn't know about. Do you want to hear the prophecy?" Rhia nodded.

_The one with the power vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…_

Rhia's mind was reeling. So far, Harry met the words of the prophecy Dagda gas said. His hair was black, his eyes green, and a prophecy had revealed his future. And speaking of future, he was from the future! Yet another part of the prophecy that had been fulfilled. There was still the part about the Treasures, though.

"Is Voldemort his real name? It seems very like a very unusual name." Harry shook his head, saying, "No, Voldemort isn't his real name. His technical name is Tom Marvelo Riddle. If you mix the letters around, you come up with _I am Lord Voldemort_."

Rhia voiced a question about the prophecy. "So, that one part 'And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives' Does that mean…" Harry nodded grimly. "Yup. Either I kill him, or he kills me. That's the way is has to be. There is no door number three." There was an awkward silence, and Rhia tried to lighten the mood.

"So, tell me about your friends. What are they like? What are their names?" Harry smiled at her inquisitive nature. "Well, I have two best friends. I met Ron first. He has red hair, and a ton of freckles. He comes from a huge family, and I've met all of his sibling plus his parents. My second best friend's name is Hermione Granger. She's probably the smartest witch of our year. We've been through a lot, the three of us. Pity…"

"What do you mean, 'Pity…'" Rhia asked. Harry sighed. I've had to force them away. Because Voldemort is after me, everyone around me is in danger. Just last spring/summer, my godfather was killed. His name was Sirius…"

Rhia looked outside. "Well, it's still pretty dark outside. Want to go look at the stars?" Harry smiled, and nodded. And so they went, climbing up to the very top of the trees that formed Arbassa. Laying down on the thick layer of leaves, they gazed at the various stars. Reaching into his pocket, Harry pulled out his pocket telescope.

"Hey Rhia!" he said as he tossed her the small object. She fumbled it, but managed to catch it again. She looked at it, and asked, "Uh, what it is?" Harry chuckled, and explained. "Well, it's called a telescope. Point it at a star, and look through it." She followed his instructions, and gasped as the star was magnified.

Harry enjoyed watching her bewilderment, and pointed out a few constellations and star names. Harry looked down at his watch, which lit up upon sensing his gaze. Harry gave a little jump. Rhia's brother would be here in about fifteen minutes. He pointed this out to Rhia, noting they should probably get down. She agreed, and they began to climb down.

When they were about halfway down, Harry decided to freefall. He launched himself off of the branch, and spread his arms out like an arrow, speeding toward the ground. Rhia shrieked, and tried to catch him. He twirled, avoiding her grasp, and fell further. About ten feet off the ground, he gave a sharp whistle, and Godric caught him on his back.

Rhia quickly climbed down, and tried to catch her breath. She was breathing heavily, and glared at him. "Never (Breath, breath) do that (Breath, breath) again. Honestly! You scare me half to death!" At that moment, a dark figure dropped down next to Rhia. "Is this man bothering you, little sister?" Rhia's face lit up. "Oh, it's so nice to see you again!" Turning to Harry, she said, "Harry, this is my brother, Merlin."


	9. Chapter 9: Merlin

Author's Note: Thanks to all of you who gave good reviews. They are extremely appreciated. So Harry's a werewolf now. Will he be cured? Maybe. And what of Merlin meeting Harry? What sort of confrontation will come of that? Well, read and find out. Don't forget to review! Also, not all of these ideas are entirely mine. I got a few ideas from a story I read the other day. It's called _The Elven Princess_. It's on fanfiction, so it's easily accessible. . I strongly suggest reading it, though be warned, all of you virgin minded readers; the story is rated M for a good reason in one of the chapters. (I think it's chapter 10) The author is obvious talented, and is still writing it. Also, for those of you who haven't read _The Lost Years of Merlin_, Fincayra is a magical place, not wholly of heaven or earth. (I think I said that in one of the chapters.) Merlin spent much of his childhood there, according to T.A. Barrone, the author. The series is a very good read, and I recommend reading it sometime. Also, I regret to inform you that my post speed has slowed down somewhat. Finals are upon me, and it's getting tougher to find some free time to write, on top of practicing my cello, guitar, and Boy Scout stuff.

I'm not sure who asked this, but I try to answer my reviewers. They wanted to know why I had put so many animals in the story. They were curious as to why I haven't written much on Harry's human friends. For those of you who didn't pick up on it, the whole point of his running away was to isolate himself. This was to protect his friends. I also read a review asking about the age of Rhia. Let's say she's turning 16 in October. Well, enough yapping; on with the show! Ferretfriend.

"Harry, this is my brother, Merlin" Merlin was about Harry's age, and had hair that was black as well. In his left hand was his staff, looking much less scarred than the one Harry now clutched. Excalibur was in its sheath on his left side, and it too looked less worn, though no more magnificent. Merlin had the beginnings of a beard, and his eyes were blue, just like Elen's.

Merlin looked Harry up and down, taking in the details. HE turned to Rhia, and asked, "Who's this? Where is he from?" Rhia met Harry's eye, and grinned. "Not where brother, when." Merlin did a bit of a double take. He stared Rhia in the eye, and said, "You mean…" Rhia nodded quickly and changed the subject. She obviously didn't want to talk about it in front of Harry.

Merlin regarded him form Rhia's side, and Harry saw his eyes widen when they fell on the staff clutched in Harry's hand and the sword at his waist. "Where did you get that staff? And where did you get that sword?" Harry decided to play it cool.

"Oh, I just found the staff. A little beat up, but probably still useful. And the sword? Well, I found that too." Merlin's hand suddenly glowed with blue fire. "I am being serious. Either you tell me where you found these now, or I will use force!"

Harry put his hands up in gesture of peace, and tried to calm Merlin down. "Whoa, whoa! I get the point! No more jokes, got it. Okay, I found this place. It's like a stone temple. It's called the Gateway. Ever heard of it?" Merlin looked perplexed.

Harry sighed. "I guess that's a no. Rhia told me you're a healer." Turning to Rhia, he said, "Why don't you explain what happened?" Rhia complied, and repeated the grim tale. By the time she had finished, Merlin's face was grim. Turning to Harry, he said, "I don't know how to cure werewolf bites, but I know someone who might. It will be dangerous, though."

Harry waved off the last words, and said, "No more dangerous than my being a werewolf if you two are close by on a full moon. I'll do whatever it takes." Merlin regarded him for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes, I think you will do fine. Rhia, let's get ready." Rhia nodded, and they began to trek back through the trees to Arbassa.

When they reached the giant oak, Rhia slipped off her shoes and stepped forward. The roots closed around her feet, embracing them as a mother embraces her child. The door opened, and they climbed up to the suspended cottage/house. Merlin chatted amiably with Elen, and Harry followed Rhia upstairs. She began gathering some items together, and started to load them into a bag.

As she did these things, Harry watched her. She moved in a most peculiar way. She walked to the other side of the room, but it was like she was gliding. She moved with an effortless grace, and her voice seemed to have a calming effect, almost like phoenix song. Her hair was a sort of dirty blond, and went well with her eyes. The thing that surprised him most was the ears. They were somewhat triangular, but slightly more pointed.

Harry sat and wondered what sort of race she could belong to. Up until now, he had thought of her as a human. But these ears were not typical to humans. He was about to ask when he spotted her carrying something. It was a longbow, and was beautifully crafted. Harry's eyes strayed to her closet, and he gasped at what he saw.

There were blades. She had two short swords, a longer sword, several throwing knives, a curved sword, and huge sword hat looked like it would take two hands to wield. She turned to ask him something, but noticed his staring. She followed his gaze, and saw him staring at her collection.

He turned to her, and gasped out, "Are you what I think you are?" Rhia smiled at him. "That depends. What do you think I am?" Harry voiced his theory. "Are you an elf?" Rhia gave her bell-like laughter, and said, "Oh, so close. Well, I guess I am part elf. Well, mostly elf. It's more like 7/8 elf and 1/8 human. The human is from Elen. I think Merlin got more of the human chromosomes. You see, this place, Avalon, and all of its inhabitants except maybe the giants are at least part elf. My father, a person named Stangmar, was a dark elf. I did, however, learn the ways of the good elves from Arbassa."

Harry digested all of this, and smiled. "Cool. I've read some about elves over the summer, and I find your culture fascinating. I've read all about your unfortunate history with the wizards in the Middle Ages. Elven warriors are said to have been greatly feared among their enemies. So, do you know much about combat?"

Rhia thought for a moment before answering. "Well, I know how to use all the things in my closet. I'll tell you their names later. My favorites are the two short swords and the longbow. I know how to fight hand to hand, but I prefer to use my weapons, and usually have at least one of them with me. Maybe I can teach you some time."

Harry's face lit up. "Yeah, that would be great! I'd love to learn how to fight. But I suppose your brother is waiting for us. We'd better go." Rhia nodded in agreement, and finished packing her bag. Harry stuck his hands in his pocket, more to prevent them from fidgeting then anything. It came as a welcome shock when he felt his trunk in his pocket. He must have shrunken it, and put a featherweight charm on it.

Harry followed Rhia back downstairs, and saw Merlin talking to Elen. He looked grim, and was speaking in a low tone. He suddenly stopped speaking when he saw Harry enter. Harry saw that Merlin too had a pack, and he had a bow slung around his shoulders. Merlin smiled briefly at Harry, and hoisted his pack.

Rhia walked forward, and Harry followed. The three of them left Arbassa, and began to journey northeast. After about an hour, they took a water break. While Rhia and Merlin were talking, Harry suddenly remembered. He had left the animals behind! He thought about going back, but instead pulled out his Ocarina. He saw Rhia tug on Merlin's sleeve, pointing at the instrument.

He raised the blue flute-like tool to his lips, and began to play. The melody was that of the Beast Keeper's Song. The effect was instantaneous. He heard the wind whistling, whipping up his robes. Scanning the horizon, he saw the familiar silhouettes of his friends. He turned to look at Merlin and Rhia.

Rhia had her eyes closed, and was apparently letting the magic of the music course through her. According to his book, those elves that were magically talented were extremely aware of the magic around them. Perhaps there was more to Rhia than even she knew.

Merlin, on the other hand, was staring at the fast approaching figures. He was trying to identify them, and his hand was fingering the handle of his sword. Harry shook his head at him, and said, "Don't bother; they're friends." Merlin's hand moved away from the handle a bit, but he still looked apprehensive.

As they zoomed even closer, Harry could distinguish the different animals. To the right was Godric, looked amazed at what was happening. To Godric's left, Harry could see Mira. She looked like she was enjoying the ride. Moving further down the line, he saw Silver. Silver looked like a cub on Christmas. (Get it? Cub/Kid? Oh, just forget it.) He was forming various ramps of ice, and using the momentum to jump off. He would do various tricks in the air, and always landed on another ice ramp.

Continuing even further, he saw Hohn. Hohn seemed to be enjoying the ride, and appeared to be deep in conversation with Sacri the snake. As they landed, Silver growled enthusiastically. _Let's do that again! _Harry couldn't help but smile. Merlin just looked at him. "So, uh, these animals are your friends, Harry?"

Harry nodded while stroking Silver's smooth fur, and spoke over the steady purring. "Yup. This overgrown cat is called Silver." Silver raised an eyebrow, and Harry quickly stroked his fur again. Silver had apparently decided to forgive him, and went back to purring.

With his other hand, Harry waved at Godric. "This is Godric. He's a" But Harry was cut off. Merlin spoke under his breath. "Wow, a griffin! How on earth did you earn its trust? I tried to become friends with a griffin once, and had to give it my lunch before it would let me walk away." Harry smirked. "Well, Godric here was locked in a cage for a good three hundred years. When I got to house where he was being imprisoned, I let him out. He's been following me, despite my attempts to get rid of him." At this, Godric half scowled and half laughed. The result looked so funny that everyone burst out laughing, even Mira.

Godric walked over to Merlin, letting him pet his head. While this was going on, Harry continued with his introductions. He pointed at the large, scaly dragon, and said, "This is Mira. She's a dragon, as you can see. She's a-…" He turned to Merlin. "Wait a moment; could you tell me if Sweden exists yet?" Merlin thought about it, and said, "Well, no country's official name is Sweden, but I know that a country to the north of Britannica is often called that for a nickname." Okay then! Mira is a Swedish Short Snout Dragon."

Turning to Mira, he growled, "Go on, Mira! Give us a little demonstration!" Mira obliged, and shot a jet of blue fire into the air. It re-evaporated a condensing cloud, turning it back into what vapor. Merlin looked impressed, and Rhia let out a soft _wow_. Mira landed again, and folded her great wings.

Harry turned to Sacri, who appeared in a trance. The snake came out of it, and hissed at Harry. _You need something of me?_ Harry nodded, and hissed back. "Yes, I do. I would like you to show my friends your powers when I ask you to." Sacri nodded, and resumed his trance, though Harry could tell he was listening for a command.

Harry turned to Merlin and Rhia, and said, "This is Sacri. Sacri is a basilisk." Upon seeing Merlin's distrustful look, he said, "Don't worry, he can control his eyes. He can do all sorts of stuff too." Turning to Sacri, he hissed, "Now." Sacri nodded and began his talent show.

First, he swelled to over fifty feet ion length. When he did, Rhia let out a small scream, but quickly composed herself, looking embarrassed. Sacri shrunk down to his normal size, and then shrunk to the size of an inchworm. He returned to his original state, and began to tunnel. He was an extremely fast digger, and had, in a few seconds, tunneled behind Merlin and Rhia. They both spun around, and laughed when they saw Sacri trying to move a huge boulder with his nose. He finally got fed up, and melted it with his venom.

Harry gave a hiss, and Sacri slithered over to him, curling around his arm. Harry began to introduce the last member of his little party. "Well, last but not least is Hohn." Hohn fluttered down onto his shoulder, and trilled serenely. _About time, Harry. I thought you had forgotten me._ Harry quickly trilled back. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to exclude you. Tell you what, here's your reward for waiting." With that, Harry summoned a plate of some of Hohn's favorite herbs.

While Hohn was eating, Harry explained a little about him. "Well, Hohn is a phoenix. He's extremely loyal, and makes for a very good messenger. The truly miraculous thing about phoenixes is their life-spans. They live for about ten years before they die, but when they do, they are reborn. So basically, they never die. Neat, huh?"

Rhia nodded enthusiastically, but Merlin said, "What did you do earlier, when you made that noise? Were you talking to it?" Harry nodded, but said, "Hohn might be a phoenix, but doesn't mean you should call him 'it'. He has feelings too, you know. Besides," he said, flashing a cheeky grin. "Hell hath no fury like a phoenix insulted." They all laughed at that one, including Hohn.

When they had stopped laughing, Merlin's face went to serious mode again. "Well, we'd better be going. We still have a while to go." And so they left. They had left the forest now, and were hiking through some plains. As they walked, Rhia and Merlin were questioning Harry.

"So, Harry; what's the future like?" Harry thought about it, and said, "Really confusing. We're in the middle of a war. There's this evil wizard, and he's just wreaking havoc on society, killing whenever hew wants to. And I'm on the top of his death list." Merlin apparently had the same curiosity as Rhia. "Why's he trying to kill you so badly? You're not that old. Speaking of which, how old are you, anyway?"

Harry said, "Oh, I turn sixteen next week, actually. And as to the dark wizard, oh, I forgot to tell you his name! Well he goes by Lord Voldemort, but his real name is Tom Riddle. But since he's so evil, people just call him You-Know-Who. I think it's really stupid, but then again, I survived where others didn't. You see, when I was about a year old, Voldemort attacked my parents and me. He killed my dad first, and then tried to kill me. My mum sacrificed herself to try to save me, and she did, in a way. Her sacrifice enabled an ancient charm, which prevented anyone form harming me. The killing curse Voldemort used rebounded upon him, and he was forced to flee, bodiless, and less than even the weakest ghost."

Rhia and Merlin exchanged looks again, and Harry asked, "Why d you two keep looking at each other like that? I know you're hiding something from me, but I don't know what." Merlin spoke for both of them, saying, "You are correct. We are hiding something from you, but can not tell you what it is yet. Believe us when we say, when the time is right, you will know." Harry saw the determined look in their eyes, and knew it was pointless to pursue the information, so he let it be.

Harry was watching Rhia again, his eyes fixated upon her ears. She noticed him staring at her ears, and wiggled them back and forth. He burst out laughing, and took about a minute to control himself. When he had stopped laughing, he mused out loud. "Wish I had ears like that…" He suddenly slapped his forehead. Rhia chuckled briefly, and watched him screwing up his face.

All of a sudden, his ears began to lengthen. They became all pointy and elf-like. Harry's sense of hearing almost tripled. He could hear things like the wings of a mosquito, and a leaf hitting the ground. Rhia gasped, and Merlin had a look of shock on his face. Turning to them, he said, "What are you guys staring at?"

Rhia pointed at his new ears, and said, "How did you do that?" Harry pointed at his ears. "Oh, these? Didn't I tell you guys? I'm a metamorphmagi." At their blank stares he explained. "A metamorphmagi is someone who can change their appearance at will." He drove the point home by changing his hair to a vivid lime green color. Merlin laughed and Rhia made a face. "Ugh, lime green! Change it back, please." Harry chuckled, and returned his hair to its normal form; jet black and stubbornly untidy.

The sun was beginning to set, and they were bathed in an orange light. Merlin stopped and turned to the others. "Why don't we rest here tonight? It's a good spot." Harry looked around, and saw that it was indeed a good place for camp. Rhia walked by a tree, and let out a gasp. "Merlin, this is where we ran into Stangmar a couple of years ago!" Merlin looked around. "Are you sure? It looks like a normal hill to me."

Rhia knelt by the tree. "Yes, I'm positive. Look! Here are the shards from the Orb of Fire!" Merlin knelt down and examined the shards. "Yes, this is the spot." Harry, who was thoroughly confused, said, "I'm sorry, but what are you guys talking about?" Rhia pointed at the shards. "Those were once part of something called the Orb of Fire. It had the power to heal the spirit and inspire courage in others."

Harry knelt down next to her, and picked up the shards. Rhia and Merlin shot a glance at each other and waited with baited breath. Making sure he had all of the shards, he closed them tightly in his hands, until the sharp points cut and he started to bleed. His lips moved, and he muttered, "Reparo!" He opened his bloodied hands, and saw that the Orb was back in one piece. Inside, was a tiny, orange flame. Rhia gasped, but Harry could tell that the flame would die without help. He threw his entire magical energy, his entire soul behind his attempt, and felt his magical aura flare. Merlin and Rhia both gasped, and backed up, for what looked like a green fire had enveloped Harry. His aura returned to its original state, and he held out the Orb. Inside was a roaring green fire.

The look that passed between Merlin and Rhia was far too obvious to miss, and Harry asked, "Will you two please tell me what's going on? What was that look for?" Rhia sighed heavily. "I'm so sorry, Harry, but we can't tell you yet. When you are ready, you will know." Harry sighed, and said, "Well, if you don't want to tell me, that's okay." Rhia looked extremely upset. "It's not that we don't want to tell you! We just can't!" Harry sighed and held out the new Orb. "I understand. Here, I want you to have this."

She took the Orb from his hands, and felt its fire warm her entire body. She gazed at it for a moment, and then threw her arms around Harry's neck, hugging him tightly. Harry looked, no he WAS shocked, but he gently hugged her back. She let go of him, and examined the Orb again. She gave it to Merlin, who examined it carefully. While Merlin was looking it over, Rhia turned back to Harry, and asked breathlessly, "How did you do that?"

Harry looked pretty shocked himself, and said, "Well, I know how I fixed the glass, but I have know idea how I did that fire thing. It was weird. I just felt as if something deep inside of me had been awakened. I have no idea how or why that happened." Merlin gave the Orb back to Rhia, and said, "Its powers have been restored alright, but they're stronger than they were before." Rhia hooked onto her belt, and gazed into its green depths, lost in thought.

Godric, who apparently thought the moment was becoming too heavy, chose that moment to say loudly, "What's a griffin got to do to get dinner in this joint?" Everyone burst out laughing, even Mira. Harry, after he had stopped chuckling, asked everyone what they wanted to eat. He conjured up the food, and Mira started a fire for them to cook on. Within half an hour, they were all munching happily on different meals. Mira was eating a large, roast ox, and drinking from a giant goblet made out of stone that Harry had conjured for her. Godric had a sheep, and a similar goblet. Sacri had a basket full of assorted rodents, and Hohn had his usual plateful of herbs. Silver was sharing a small goat with Harry, and had his own water. Merlin was eating some ham with a flask of something. Rhia, on the other hand, was eating a salad, with a variety of fruits she had never seen from Harry's time. She picked up a strawberry with a dubious look on her face. She tried it, and her face lit up. She quickly reached for another.

Harry tried not to laugh while he watched her sampling various fruits and veggies. He had already finished his meal, and took to perusing the stars. It always gave him a sense of calm and peace. As he looked up into the sky, he couldn't help but feel as if hundreds of eyes were winking down at him. He smiled, and watched as meteor burned up as it zipped across the sky. The moon was not full, and had started its waning cycle.

When everyone else had finished, Merlin vanished the remains. Merlin had packed a blanket, but Rhia had apparently forgotten. Harry conjured one up for her, and whistled to his animal friends. They all walked/flew/slithered to him, and they curled up against one another. Strangely enough, Godric was lying next to Mira, cuddled and looking very ungriffinish. (Author's Note: I know it's not a word, but it sounded funny.) Sacri was curled around Harry's left arm, and Hohn was perched on Harry's right shoulder, leaning against his head. Silver was curled up, and Harry put his right arm around him. They fell asleep feeling very safe and comfortable.

Rhia watched all this from underneath the blanket Harry had conjured for her. Merlin was already sleeping, and snoring loudly. She tuned him out, watching Harry and his friends. They looked so safe and content, leaning against each other, each with a slight smile on his or her face. The light from the dying fire fell softly on Harry's face, and she studied his features carefully. He looked so innocent, and yet, so troubled. He was obviously more at peace with his friends.

As she watched, he twitched slightly. His smile faded a little, and he his lips began to move. He began to twitch again, moaning. "No… Sirius…Don't go… Please, come back…No…" Her heart throbbed with sympathy, and she got up. She sat a log next to his head, gently stroking his hair, muttering, "Shhh. It's okay. It's okay, Harry. Calm down." He stopped twitching, and sunk back down onto Silver. She continued to sit there, gently rubbing his head. As the fire continued to die, she slumped down, her head resting on his left shoulder.

When Harry awoke the next morning, he looked around at his friends. They were all still asleep, and Harry gently stroked Silver. He glanced up at Hohn, perched on his shoulder, sleeping soundly. _Wait, if Hohn's on that shoulder, what's on my other shoulder?_ He turned, and saw Rhia leaning on him. He quickly stifled the yelp that was about to leap out of his mouth. It was difficult, however. What on earth was she doing on his shoulder?

She suddenly stirred, and yawned loudly. She opened her eyes, and found herself nose to nose with a very startled looking Harry. She quickly got up, blushing furiously. After about a minute, she looked at him. "Uh, I can explain. I was trying to sleep, and I saw you twitching. I thought you must have been having a nightmare, and tried to calm you down. I guess I just fell asleep. Uh, sorry."

Harry, who still looked stunned, waved his hand. "It's okay, I don't mind." Rhia smiled, and suddenly said, "Well, you make a very good pillow." They both laughed, and as they waited for the others to awaken, talked about various things.

"So, Rhia; what was the most exciting part of growing up in the elvish culture?" Rhia thought about it, and answered, "Well, I learned a lot about combat. I never learned how to do magic, though. I don't think I can. Very few elves have the magical potential to become wizards or witches. I think it's like 3. Yeah, low, isn't it?"

Harry was puzzled by this. "Aren't all elves magical?" Rhia nodded, and said, "Well, all elves are magical and have a magic around them, but very few can control it. For others, it's more commonly viewed as an elves natural blessing. The few exceptional can control and channel that 'blessing'."

Harry absorbed this information, and posed another question. If she was going to pound him with questions, he was going to have his revenge. "So how old are you? Don't elves live forever?" Rhia smiled, and said, "No, elves don't live forever. We used to, but lost the right due to the corruption of a warrior elf. Now we just age much slower than normal humans, but that's only due to the magical blessing all elves have. Me, I'm actually pretty young on elvish standards. In human standards, I'm only fifteen. I turn sixteen in September."

Harry absorbed all of this like a sponge, and walked over to her bag. Lying across the top of it was her elven longbow. Hi picked it up and examined it. "So, what is this thing?" The bow was made out of a light colored wood, with silver vines snaking their way around the wood. He also saw intricate silver runes running down the bow, and asked, "Is this Elvish?"

Rhia picked up her bow, and said, "Yes, it is. It talks about my character. You see, according to elven tradition, when an elf comes of age, or is old enough to carry a weapon, they must make it themselves." Upon seeing Harry's mouth open, she said, "The elven age is thirteen. This is why many elves carry bows. Bows are easier to make, and not quite as bulky for travel. You see, most elves start with the bow. Another tradition is that of weapon mastery. There is no such thing as halfway learning a skill in the elven culture. An elf is required to master their first weapon before they begin to learn with another. An elf is also forbidden to posses any weapon he or she has not mastered."

Harry looked skeptical. "But you had all those weapons back in Arbassa." Rhia nodded, and realization dawned on Harry. "You mean… You- You've mastered all of those weapons?" Rhia nodded, and Harry was at a loss for words. All he could say was _whoa_. Rhia pulled an arrow out of her quiver and said, "Could you conjure me up a target?" Harry complied immediately, creating a large wooden archery target, complete with scoring rings.

Rhia notched the arrow to her bowstring, and pulled it back. In the instant that she was lining up her shot, time seemed to slow down. She pulled the string further back, and the bow seemed less like a bow than part of her. She let the arrow fly, and it whistled through the early morning air, stopping with a thump, quivering dead center in target. She turned and smirked at Harry.

Just then, Merlin began to stir. He was beginning to wake up, and as he did, Harry heard Silver growl out a sleepy yawn. Hohn had been awake since Harry had, due of course to his movements. Sacri too was awake, and searching for a morning mouse. Hohn had found a thyme bush, and was chowing down. Silver got, and stretched in an extremely cat-like manner. Godric and Mira were beginning to wake up too, and Harry began to conjure up some munchies.

Harry and Rhia finished their breakfasts earlier than the rest, and talked as the semi-awake animals and human ate. "So, what's so special about that Orb thing? I mean, you said it had magical powers, but plenty of things are magical." Rhia began to explain what made the Orb of Fire so unique.

"Well, remember how I said this place was once called Fincayra?" Harry nodded, and she continued. "Well, this was one of its treasures. There are several others, like the Flowering Harp, or the Caller of Dreams. Each has its own unique power. You see, about a couple of years ago, we were on the dawn of a tremendous fight, and this land was still called Fincayra, several ominous things happened that had to do with the Treasures of Fincayra. The Orb of Fire was broken by Stangmar, the Flowering Harp's strings snapped, the Caller of Dreams cracked, and the Key, which is one of the Seven Wise Tools, lost its power."

Harry committed this to memory, and absentmindedly fingered Rhia's bow. The others finished their eating, and they prepared to leave. Merlin pulled out a map, and showed Harry where they were going to go. "It's a good day's walk from here, assuming we don't rake many breaks." Harry had an idea, and said, "I have a better idea." They both looked at him, and Merlin asked, "What?"

For his answer, Harry pulled out his Ocarina. He was a little nervous, never having tried this song before, but the others had worked, hadn't they? He raised it to his lips and began to play the Ballad of the Gales. A fierce wind swept through the camp, lifting them off of the ground. Rhia looked surprised, but quickly began to enjoy herself. Merlin looked bewildered, and was clutching his staff and trying to keep his balance.

The winds brought them back down to the ground, and faded. Merlin looked around, and said, "Well, we're where we wanted to be. Nice trick, Potter." Harry grinned cheekily at him, and said, "Thanks. First time I've ever tried that one." They all laughed, and Merlin looked around. Harry did the same, and noticed for the first time that they were in a marsh. It smelled terrible, and was eerily silent. Merlin saw a light, and started toward it. They followed, and found themselves standing in front of what looked like a flaming tree. Merlin waved his staff, and a key appeared beyond the reach of the fire, and floated down to them. Merlin grabbed it and examined it. He then passed it to Harry.

Harry looked at it, noting the way the metal was strangely dull. This must have been the key Rhia had described. It was about the size of a ham, a golden color, and had a sapphire encrusted in the handle. As he took the key, Harry felt something within him stir.

His hands gripped the key tightly, and an unseen wind blew his hair about. He didn't know what was happening, but at the next moment, had begun to glow yet again. The key flashed in the light he was radiating, and the sapphire changed to a rich emerald. When the glow faded, the key was shining brightly, as if it under the sun, yet no sun shone upon it. Rhia gasped again, and Merlin just shook his head in amazement.

"What… What just happened?" Merlin looked highly amused, and said, "If you don't know, then neither do I. I suppose you did the same thing with the Orb of Fire." He took the Key from Harry, and looked it over. "Yup. There's no doubt about it. The Key's power has been restored." He suddenly smiled, and said, "C'mon, follow me." Rhia looked like she understood, but Harry said, "Where are we going?" Merlin smiled, and said, 'To visit a friend."


	10. Chapter 10: The Mirror of Merlin

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews all. They really help, and sometimes give me ideas that I use in the story. Take Sacri for example; I wasn't planning on a snake as one of the animal friends, but someone suggested it in a review. I want to answer some of you reviewers' questions, so here it goes.

To critic unknown: Well, I know Avalon is really a Welsh place, but keeping mind the disclaimer I said in Chapter One. It said, _I do not own Harry Potter, Merlin, and friends. These characters belong to J.K. Rowling and T.A. Barrone. (**In the context that I'm using them, anyway.)**_ Well, nobody can claim Merlin for their own. It is a series of speculation on his history, as it's impossible to say Merlin did THIS then and went THERE after. He may not even have existed. (But what fun would that be? I mean, come on!) T.A. Barrone says Merlin went to a place called Fincayra, later named Avalon. (See the _Lost Years of Merlin_ Series.) And true, the Lady of the Lake had Excalibur. Well, let's say Merlin gave it to her, knowing what role it would play.

To a random guy: Would Merlin call Domnu a friend? Let's think that one over, shall we?

To Dragon Sword Master: Well, have you ever heard that laughter is contagious? Good point, though. I'll have to think about how to work that out.

Well, I think that's everything. Hope you all enjoy the story, and also hope you review. Ferretfriend

"To visit a friend."

Merlin had said these words with a mysterious smile, and then begun to trek through the muck of the marsh. Harry hated marshes. They were too smelly, dark, damp, and overall depressing. Rhia looked equally unsettled. Merlin seemed perfectly fine though, and hummed a tune as he walked, using his staff to push himself out of the mud.

Although Merlin seemed to be enjoying the hike, Harry's animal friends were not quite as happy. (With the exception of Sacri, who enjoyed slithering through the mud and muck, hissing happily.) Silver, in his pride, had taken all measures possible to ensure he didn't get any mud on his white fur. He had conjured a path of ice, and was constantly lengthening it as he walked/slid.

Mira was flying, dodging the trees, Godric alongside her. Hohn was flying about Harry's shoulders, trilling a gentle lullaby. As Harry's boot sunk into the mud with a splatter, flecks of mud landed on Silver's elegant tail. Silver surveyed his tail, trying to tell how much damage had been done. When he looked up, he shot Harry a look that said, quite plainly, _you'll pay for that._ Harry laughed, and performed the cleaning spell on Silver.

They kept trekking through the thick mud, thoroughly wishing to be back in the nice, grassy hills. Harry, who was surveying the horizon, desperate for some sort of sign that heralded the marsh's end, spotted what looked like a bright orange light. Judging by its flickering quality, it was a fire. Merlin seemed to have spotted it too, and his smile widened. Harry guessed this was their destination, and felt a tug of hope. _Almost there._ In the next second, several things happened at once.

Strange, ghost-like beings appeared all around them. The instant they did, Rhia drew her longbow, training it on one of them, pulling the string back as far as it could go without breaking. Harry, who was about to draw Excalibur, stopped himself. Physical weapons would do nothing against ghosts, or whatever they were. _Rhia's arrows must be enchanted by Merlin._ Yes, that would be it.

Mira had shot a great jet of blue flame into the air, eyes blazing. That was a warning shot, Harry supposed. Godric had taken to the air, letting out a shrill war cry. Hohn was flapping above all of them, prepared to perform a defense spell. (Phoenixes are very good at protecting their masters.) Silver had formed what appeared to be a shield of ice, a veritable wall standing in between them and the ghost creatures. Sacri had swelled to the size of a train, his tongue flickering threateningly. Merlin placed a hand on Rhia's bow, giving her a look. He stepped forward, and said, "Why, hello there, Marsh Ghouls."

_So that's what those things are. Marsh Ghouls._ The Marsh Ghouls did not say anything. Looking from one to the next, Harry saw that they all carried a bow. These were just ordinary bows, but the arrows caught Harry's attention immediately. Their magical auras were screaming, and were a dark black. Those arrows were full of dark magic, and Harry wasn't keen on being caught on the wrong end.

Every ghoul had an arrow out and drawn, pointed at the party. Harry was sure that a wall of ice would do little against them. As one, the ghouls lowered their bows, and parted. The party was obviously allowed to pass, and as they did, the ghouls vanished. As they continued toward the flickering light, Harry interrogated Merlin.

"What were those things, those Marsh Ghouls trying to attack us for? We didn't do anything!" Merlin sighed, and explained.

"You see the light up ahead? Well, there's a cave just ahead, and it's the Ghouls' job to guard it. They have a perimeter set up, and guard it constantly. It's quite impossible to cross without their knowing. As soon as anyone crosses, they appear to investigate. The worst thing anyone can do is to attack. Did you see those arrows?"

Harry nodded, and could tell that everyone was listening closely. Silver's ears were sticking up, more so than usual. Sacri's hissing had dropped in its volume. Hohn was leaning toward Merlin, still perched on Harry's shoulder. Mira and Godric both didn't show any signs, but some uncanny sense told Harry they were listening. Rhia was obviously listening, as she shoes that moment to say, "Well, go on."

Merlin chuckled at his sister's inquisitive nature, and continued. "Well, those arrows are powerfully magical. They rip the very fabric of reality, creating a void anywhere they travel. Not fun to be shot by. But enough of this! We're almost to the cave, look!" He pointed at the light.

Harry followed the path of his finger, and saw what looked like the entrance to a cave. There was a torch hanging next to the entrance, throwing a golden light about the area. Harry could see some stairs, and a white light coming from the bottom of them. He was a bit apprehensive, but followed Merlin as he cheerfully strode down the stairs. Merlin was a bit like Dumbledore.

At the headmaster's name, Harry always felt slightly angry. True, he was getting better, and the feeling had lessened of late, but it had not gone away entirely. It was still there, plaguing him like an exceptionally annoying fly. Harry silenced the thought using his recently acquired skills in closing his mind, and brought his focus back to the task at hand.

By now, they had reached the bottom of the stairs, and Harry saw what had been creating that white light. It was a mirror; a magnificent mirror, unlike any Harry had ever seen, including the Mirror of Erised. Behind the glass, what looked like mist swirled, and Harry could see a vague figure.

Merlin stepped forward, but turned back to Harry. "I'm sorry, but this may be too dangerous for your friends. It would be better if they stayed here." Godric didn't like this one bit, and voiced his opinion. Merlin couldn't understand the animals, so Harry had to translate. "Well, Godric says he's not going anywhere. No offense, Merlin, but have you ever argued with a griffin? Not easy to convince them."

Merlin replied with a nod. "Very well, if the griffin is willing to risk it, then he can come." Mira, who apparently didn't want to be outdone, let out a growl. Again, Harry was forced to translate. It was very annoying. "Mira says if Godric's going, then she is too. She says, well, I believe her exact words were _I'm not about to be outdone by a feathery feline! If the griffin goes, then so do I!_ Well, it looks like Mira's coming too. Believe me Merlin, you DON' T want to argue with a dragon."

Merlin nodded again, looking a bit apprehensively at the smoke that Mira had snorted out of her nose. Hohn, Silver, and Sacri immediately voiced their objections too, and Harry was caught in a whirlwind of voices. When he managed to clear his head, he said, "This is going nowhere fast. Let's just bring the lot. It's their skin, not ours." Merlin sighed, but Harry could have sworn he had seen the young mage's mouth twitch upward.

Merlin turned back to the mirror, and readied himself. With a smile that was reflected back at him, he stepped through the mirror. Harry gasped. Merlin had disappeared, gone into the mirror. There was no other option, so Harry plunged in after him, the others following suit.

When he passed the mirror's surface, (which was rather cold, as it in a deep cavern) he found himself in a world of fog and mist. All of a sudden, he was surrounded by familiar faces! They were all shouting different bits of advice at him, thoroughly poor Harry.

The first was Ron. "C'mon, mate! Let's go play some Quidditch!"

The next was Hermione. "Don't listen to him, Harry! Let's go study together. There's so much for us to do!"

The next was Remus Lupin, one of his parents' best friends. "Harry, listen to me! Lily and James would want you to trust me!"

The next, and most painful, was Sirius. "Come with me, Harry. We can live away from all the reporters and cameras. You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Harry had started toward Sirius, when he heard another, more recent voice.

"No, Harry! Don't follow him! Follow me, and I'll lead you through the mirror. Come with me Harry…" It was Rhia. She looked desperate, almost to the point of tears. She was begging him to come with her, and her voice blended with the others'.

Harry was confused beyond the sense of the word. Who should he trust? Who should he follow? He didn't know, and tried to suppress the ache that had begun in his head. When he could stand it no more, he shouted, "STOP!"

All it did. Everything stopped at once, and the people disappeared. All, that is, except Rhia. She was still there, smiling at him. She hadn't been frozen, and began to talk again.

"You did the right thing. You were supposed to choose one of the visions, and if it was the right one, you would be okay. If it wasn't, you would die." Harry felt a wave of relief fly over him, but it was at once replaced by worry.

"What about my friends? Did they make it?" Rhia nodded, pointing at the animals, who all looked quite surprised. But past experiences had proved to Harry that Godric never stayed quite for long. He growled at Harry, determined to make his opinion known. _Yeah, why don't we not do that again?_ Harry knew better than to respond, and Godric's bait went untaken.

Harry turned his attention back to Rhia, and asked, "Where are we?" Rhia flashed him her smile again, and smirked. "Ah, well, it looks like the tables have turned." Harry tilted his head, confused. "What do you mean?"

Rhia's bell-like laughter filled the area, which was a cave. "Oh, this is too good! Okay then, I'll say this: Not where. When." Harry raised an eyebrow. "You mean…" Rhia nodded, and said, "Yeah, we've gone through time. This time, we traveled to the future."

Harry looked around the cave. His friends were all okay, and Merlin was in conversation with someone. A certain someone with long, silver hair. In fact, the old man looked much like Merlin, though Harry could tell his magical aura was several times stronger than the younger Merlin and himself. Merlin was truly powerful, and seemed to radiate wisdom.

He leaned upon a staff, a staff that looked much more like the one Harry clutched than the staff the younger Merlin held. His eyebrows were raised, and he shot a glance in Harry's direction. Well, it was now painfully obvious just what they had been talking about.

The old Merlin turned away from the conversation, and looked Harry up and down. When he was done, he said, "So, you're Harry Potter, are you? I have heard much about you, even before now."

Harry raised his eyebrows at that. Turning to the younger Merlin, he said, "Uh, Merlin?" Both turned to him with a _Hmm?_ His lips twitched, and he said, "The younger one, I mean. Uh, how far exactly did we go into the future? Is this my time?"

The young Merlin said, "Well, to tell you the truth, I don't really know. You'll have to ask the old man over here." The old Merlin huffed indignantly. "I am not that old, you impudent young pup! Honestly! No respect for elders these days. You would think…"

Harry chose to cut off the rant before it gathered speed, saying, "Well, do you know what time where in? What year is it?" Merlin surveyed him, replying somewhat lazily. "Oh, I think it's about 1342. July, if memory serves me. But before you ask, I have been to the future. I've even watched you. You've accomplished a lot."

Harry sincerely hoped he wouldn't go into further detail. He didn't feel like getting stares from Rhia and Merlin. He had begun to go red, but quickly harnessed his emotions, banishing the embarrassment. As he looked at the older Merlin, he saw his face turn slightly graver.

"So, you were bitten by a werewolf? Unfortunate, but not as bad as people think. There is a cure, and I know how to brew it. Yes, it's a potion. I can brew it, but it will take me at least a day." He was about to continue when he saw Rhia.

"Rhia! It's been So long since I've seen you! How are you doing? How is mother?" He would have continued, but was interrupted again by something he saw. He stared at her waist, and asked in a shaky voice, "R-Rhia? I that? Is that the Orb of Fire?" Rhia took the glowing green sphere off of her belt, and gave it to the older version of her brother.

He studied it, and asked, still in a shaky voice, "How?" Rhia smiled at Harry, who knew what was coming. "Harry fixed it." Merlin did a slight double-take, staring at Harry. It took him a while to find his voice, and said, "Is this true?" Harry sighed in resignation, and nodded.

Merlin just shook his head, still surprised. When he had recovered, he said, "Well, I'd better get cracking on that potion." As he turned to leave, Harry called out. "Wait! I have something for you, sir." As Merlin turned, Harry tossed him the Key. Merlin caught it, and studied it. Harry watched as his eyes grew wide as dinner plates, staring at the key in his hands.

Waves of emotion battered Harry's empathy sense, revealing several emotions. He felt surprise, doubt, recognition, and, above all, hope. _At last! I had though it was gone forever, but I can finally leave this place. _Harry smiled. "Why do you want to leave this place? If you really wanted to leave, why didn't you?"

Merlin was still staring at the glorious Key as he replied. "Well, I couldn't. This place is like my prison. I- Wait a minute… How did you know I wanted to leave? I never said that." From his left, Hohn gave a triumphant trill. Harry wondered why, when his conversation on empathy and mind reading. He must have read Merlin's mind!

Merlin looked amused, and said, "You are certainly full of surprises, aren't you?" Harry grinned cheekily at him, and shrugged. Merlin looked at the Key, and Harry could see the happiness radiating off of the old man. Merlin looked at him, continuing were they left off.

"Well, you see, I was trapped here by a sorceress. She gained my trust, and begged me to teach her in the ways of magic. I could see no harm in it at the time, so I complied. That, I realize now, was a big mistake."

Harry knew parts of this from the legends he had heard. He tried to lighten the mood a bit. "This sorceress sounds like quite the person." Merlin grunted. "Miserable old hag. Oh, when I get out, I'm going to have a few words with Nimue."

Merlin stopped his rant before it could begin, and continued along with the tragic tale. "Once I taught her the basics, she flew along. Like a sponge, she was. Soaked up all the information I had to give. However, one day, one fateful day, I made the mistake of teaching her a spell more powerful than myself. I had only recently learned it, and didn't know the counter curse. By the time I learned it, it was too late. The spell had set in permanently. "He broke off, a pained look on his face.

The pained expression stayed in place for a minute before vanishing, and the old man's mouth quirked up. "But now, thanks to this key, I can escape! I don't know if you know this, but this key can break any spell. Once the spell is broken, it can never be cast on that person again. Unfortunately, the Key can only be used once before its power fades. I don't know how, but you somehow managed to restore the faded power. Incredible!"

He shot a glance at Harry, and said, "Do you think I could test it before starting on the potion? It's just, I've been in this prison all my life. I can finally leave!" Harry smiled, and said, "Of course you can use the Key first. In return, do you think you could brew extra potion? Or, better yet, could you teach me how to brew it?"

Merlin looked thoughtful. "Hmm. Well, it's a very complex potion. It would take you several days, perhaps weeks to learn. Well, this is a dilemma." A sudden smile lit up the old man's face, and his eyes seemed to sparkle. He was, Harry decided, uncannily like Albus Dumbledore. _Maybe there's some sort of relation…_

Merlin was still smiling, and looked very smug. Harry just sat there for about a minute, before his curiosity overwhelmed him. "What is it? Why are you smiling like that?" Merlin chuckled softly to himself.

"Oh, don't you see, my dear boy? I could help you." Harry waved that off irritably, saying, ""Yes, I know that! I know you can help me with the potion, but that's no reason to look smug." By now, Merlin had tears of mirth in his eyes, which made the twinkle shimmer.

When Merlin stopped chuckling, he said, "Not just with the potion, lad, but with everything! I could become your mentor, like I was for young Arthur!" Harry's eyes narrowed somewhat at a new name, one who must be powerful if he or she was tutored by Merlin. "And who exactly is this Arthur?"

Merlin really started laughing at that. It took him a good five minutes before he could speak again. "Oh, don't you go telling me you've never heard of Arthur? You know, King Arthur? That's his sword you're wearing."

Harry's eyes widened somewhat. He knew Merlin had served on King Arthur's court, but he never knew Merlin had actually tutored him. The history books were always very vague one what happened to Merlin. No one really knew where he had gone. No one, that is, until now. Harry smirked. _Oh, Hermione's going to be so jealous when I tell her!_ He caught himself at that. He would have to make so pretty tough decisions on what he told his friends. He would have to ponder that later. His attention snapped back to Merlin as he began to describe the sort of things he could teach him.

"Oh, just you wait! I'll teach you everything I know! Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, and basic dueling are just the small stuff. We'll start with those, just so I can get an idea of what we have to work with. And after that, that's when the real fun begins! We'll study the deeper aspects of magic. I'll teach you the great secrets of magic, secrets like the Forgotten Arts."

Harry tilted his head in curiosity. He supposed he must have looked quite ridiculous. "What do you mean, 'Forgotten Arts'? What like paintings, and stuff?" Merlin smiled, eyes ever-twinkling, before explaining.

"Well, there's some truth to that. You see, everything has magic in it. Yes, everything. Art work is alive with magic, though it is not noticeable, even with your second sight."

Yet again, Harry was confused. Merlin explained quickly before going on. "Oh, your second sight is your ability to sense the magical aura of everything around you. Music too is magical, even more so than art. Music carries a certain magical signature, and affects everyone around, though they may not realize it. Different songs have different magical signatures. Also, some songs' signatures are stronger than others. I believe the best example would be phoenix song. You can see the aura because the magical signature is so strong."

Harry nodded slowly, his mind trying to absorb all of this. He waited patiently for Merlin to continue. "But what I mean when I say the Forgotten Arts is magic. The Arts are the higher levels of magic." At Harry's look, he said, "Right now, you're at the medium level of magic. You can do what most wizards can, more than some. You have been given great power, but you have not yet reached your potential. You have incredible power within you, but you must learn to harness it before attempting to release it."

Harry nodded again, and said, "What are the higher levels of magic?"

Merlin stared of into space, ticking them off on his fingers. "Well, there are mesmerizing, illusions, necromancy, sorcery, monk and druid teachings, elementals, and thievery. Each is a magic unto itself, and each has its own distinct signature. Using any of the magic from these branches is extremely dangerous, and can have disastrous results when not controlled. I mean, can you imagine the results of an element spell gone awry? It would be catastrophic!"

Harry fingered the staff in his hand absentmindedly, deep in thought. When he looked up, his eyes shone with a determination that had not been there earlier. "Teach me, Merlin. Teach me the ways of the mage." Merlin nodded, and so began their training.


	11. Chapter 11: The Kreelix

Author's Note: REALLY SOORY ABOUT THE LONG WAIT! Don't really have an excuse, other than writer's block, and pursuit of another story. (Which is still in progress, by the way.) Gigantic thanks to all my reviewers. They really help with the story, and I enjoy being appreciated. Here are some answers to a few questions.

To Sky 2005: The other Treasures will play a part in this story, just try to be patient. Ah, well, I can't really answer that without giving away part of the plot. As to the Harry/Rhia situation, it will be a little bit of both. About the powers, possibly. What do you think? Should he gain more power? I'm not sure I like that idea, as it seems like overkill. After all, there is a saying that goes, "Too much of a good thing…"

To Your review intrigued me, I must admit. I'm actually looking for a beta at the moment for this story, as I have a few ideas, and need someone to fall back on when I hit a writer's block. Would you be interested? If so, please email me at my private email address. The address is… wait a minute. I better not put this in m story, or I might get some odd emails. I'll email you.

To wen.hopeful.wishing.: Well, time travel is a tricky business. No one can set the rules of time travel in stone, so writers can vary on their views. Personally, I believe that the timeline is not affected until the event happens. As to Merlin suspecting a trap now that he knows about Nimue ahead of time; I'll have to blame it on destiny. I guess it was Merlin's destiny to be imprisoned and then released.

Also, there have been a lot of questions regarding the release of the Half Blood Prince. I guess, all I can do is subtly work in some details, such as the horcruxes, but I can't kill off Dumbledore. (Or can I?)

Well, this chapter should surprise a lot of readers, so enjoy!

"**This is an example of parseltongue. When the conversation is in bold, it is in parseltongue." **

"This is an example of animal speak. When conversation is between animals like Mira, Godric, Hohn, etc, it will be like this."

_This is an example of thought, or possible telepathy. _

Merlin took hold of Harry's arm, leading him to a room. Harry followed, slightly bewildered as to where they were going. When Merlin stopped, they were at what looked like a crystal staircase. It was the most beautiful thing Harry had ever seen, and seemed to glow with an inner light. Merlin began to walk up it, Key in hand. Harry followed, treading lightly. He would hate to break this pristine beauty. As he followed, he saw Merlin halt. A second later, he realized why.

What looked like a wall had shot up in front of Merlin. It was a deep, blood red, and seemed to be made of light. Merlin smiled, licking his lips in anticipation of his long awaited freedom. He brought the Key up to his chest, and pointed it at the blood red wall. The emerald in the hilt flashed, and a green beam shot forth. It impacted the wall, a small crack appeared. As they watched, the crack began to widen, very much like glass that was having weight placed upon it. The cracks continued to spread, until the entire wall was covered in them. All at once, it shattered, and Harry felt a breeze sweep through the cave.

Merlin turned to him, beaming. The Key had returned to its dull state, but Merlin carried it reverently down the stairs nonetheless. He turned back to Harry, and said, "Well, we did it. I'm finally free." His voice broke, and tears of happiness began to fall. Harry smiled, and walked over to the Key. It was as if all of the light had been drained out of it. At the thought, Harry was strongly reminded of the Dementors, which caused him to shudder.

He picked up the Key, which felt cold to the touch. He grasped it in his hands, his fingers curving around the metal. He closed his eyes, and began to funnel his power into the Key. He didn't really know how to do what he was doing, but he followed his instincts. They had worked before, hadn't they? His eyes became brighter than they ordinarily were, and his aura flared. As a blinding flash of gold light filled the room, he dropped the Key. It had suddenly become very hot, and he was unable to hold it.

Merlin walked over to where the Key had landed, and muttered some strange words. He smiled at Harry, and said, "Well, my boy, you've done it again! Incredible! Simply Incredible!" He picked up the Key, and looked it over before handing it to Harry. "Here, why don't you take this. You're probably going to need it some day. Maybe not, but it's best to be prepared."

Merlin conjured up a golden chain, and attached it to the Key. He held it out to Harry, who began to put it on. As he did, the Galator bumped against his chest. When Merlin saw that, he shook his head, muttering. Harry could have sworn he heard "Full of surprises, that one."

Harry looked down at the two pendants around his neck. It was somewhat awkward having both there, as they kept bumping against each other. "Uh, Merlin? Is there some way I can fuse the different necklaces? I mean, they're both great and all, but they are a little annoying. And would there be any way to diffuse them later?"

Merlin chuckled, and strode up to him. He placed a hand on the two necklaces, making an intricate motion with the other. They glowed a soft blue for a moment before turning into a glass orb. In the very center was the Galator, still glowing slightly. Looking closely at the glass orb, Harry found but one imperfection: there was a small carving of a key in the glass. It glowed a faint blue.

Harry ran his hands over the soft glass, and felt a sense of peace flow over him. He tucked the object back under his shirt and looked up expectantly. Merlin was looking at him with a twinkle in his eye. Yet another uncanny resemblance to Albus Dumbledore.

"So, my boy, shall me see how the world is doing?' Merlin looked like a kid in a candy shop, what with his eager face and seemingly endless energy.

Harry couldn't help but smile, and said, "Lead on, Old One."

Merlin stopped suddenly and turned to face Harry with an indignant expression on his face. "OLD? Why you insufferable pup! Old, me!" Merlin shuddered at the prospect. "Well, anyway, let's go!"

And so they were off. Harry was struggling to keep up with Merlin, as he was taking very long strides, and didn't stop at all for a break. When Merlin finally stopped his marching, Harry nearly collided with him. The walk had not been an easy one. It was all upstairs, and Harry had been counting them as he passed. He had lost count at four thousand. Looking around, he saw why Merlin had stopped.

They were facing a door. It was huge, and made out a strange stone with intricate runes carved into it by magic. Harry tried to recognize the runes, but could only identify two of them. The two he could understand were Goblin runes. These were extremely useful for either keeping something or someone out, or keeping that someone or something in.

Harry looked up and down the door for a keyhole or a handle, but couldn't find one. He turned inquisitively to Merlin, who ignored him, too engrossed in the complex spell he was casting. As he finished, an intricately carved bird appeared in the stone, and gave a screech. A door appeared beneath the bird, and Merlin gently pushed it open.

Sunlight cascaded in, blinding both of them for an instant, before their eyes adjusted. They stepped out, and took a deep breath. The air smelled slightly of pine, with a hint of rain. Looking around, Harry saw hat they were indeed in a forest.

Merlin began to walk through the forest, reveling in the feel of pine needles beneath his feet, or the gently breeze that was caressing his hair. As they walked, Merlin began to point things out to Harry. Apparently, there was much about magic that could be taught by plants. Harry already knew this of course. His encounter with the tree had taught him much. However, Merlin told him that each plant a sort of spirit, and would lend it to those worthy in times of need.

As they reached the edge of the wood, they came across an open field. There wasn't much there to look at, but it did look like a good place for lunch. As they sat down to enjoy the overlarge sandwiches Merlin had conjured, a shape darkened the sky. Merlin, too busy with his sandwich, didn't notice. As the shape came closer, Harry poked Merlin.

"Merlin, what is that?"

Merlin looked up absent mindedly, and blanched. Waving a hand, the food disappeared, and he got to his feet in a hurry. Harry asked again, perplexed.

"What are you doing? Is that thing dangerous?" Merlin nodded gravely, and spoke one word.

"RUN!"

They took off across the meadow at a sprint. The shape, apparently noticing its prey sudden burst of speed, abandoned its attempted stealth. It dived, and as it neared them, gave a terrible, high-pitched screech. It passed over them, causing a wind that nearly knocked them over. As it passed, Harry got a good look at the thing.

It was hideous. It resembled a huge bat, with brown fur. It had three large fangs; the tips stained a sick scarlet color. At the end of its dark wings were lethal-looking claws. Its eyes were completely black, and he realized at once that it was seeing using some other source. As he raised Merlin's staff high above his head, Merlin grabbed his arm.

"Don't be a fool! You can't fight a Kreelix! Run!"

And so they ran. It seemed fruitless. Every time they gained any ground, the Kreelix would dive, and catch up with them. Finally, they reached a stone wall. On either side were either more rocks, or a vast drop which they surely wouldn't survive. They were trapped.

Harry turned. If Merlin was so afraid, then it must truly be a formidable foe. However, he was NOT going to die cowering here against a wall. He had so much to live for! So many people were counting on him. He shuddered at the thought of what would happen if he never came back.

He gripped the staff tightly in his left hand, clutching Excalibur with his right. He dived into is soul, and found the powers the Dragons had given him. Stirring the power of lightning, he raised the staff: Big Mistake.

As the staff glowed blue, the Kreelix swooped again, knocking they staff out of his hand. It was encased in a scarlet light, and shattered into hundreds of pieces. Harry was devastated. That Kreelix had just destroyed what was most likely the most important magical artifact in history! Enraged, he raised Excalibur: Another Big Mistake.

As the sword came into contact with the Kreelix, the scarlet light flashed out, filling not only the air, but Harry's very mind. He felt a terrible pain, and emptiness like none he had ever known, and knew no more.

When Harry came to, everything was fuzzy. He saw something looming above him. A claw! No, wait. A branch! A sword! Harry couldn't think. He still felt completely overwhelmed by that terrible emptiness. As the world around him came into sharper focus, he found himself sitting in an al too familiar place: Hogwarts Hospital Wing.

Now he was truly confused. How on earth was he at Hogwarts? It didn't exist in Merlin's time! He looked around. The sight of Rhia, both Merlins, and his animal entourage, although welcome, only served to confuse him more. And the grave look on their faces did not look promising.

He tried to push himself up, but Rhia held him back down. She looked extremely upset. She was biting her lower lip, something she did only when she was in a very uptight state, or so the younger Merlin had told him. He looked around again and decided to speak.

"Um, why are we here? On second thought, HOW are we here? Hogwarts hasn't even come into existence yet!"

Both the young and old Merlin looked at each other, before chuckling. This did absolutely nothing to curb Harry's impatience.

"MERLIN!"

"What?" both of the, said at the same time.

Harry slapped his head. This was going to get confusing. Apparently thinking along the same lines that Harry was, the older Merlin said, "To keep things simple, call me Merlin, call him Emrys. It's the name I used to go by before I adopted the name of Merlin."

"Okay," Harry said slowly. "But that still doesn't explain how we got to a place that doesn't exist yet."

"Perhaps we can answer that," said four voices from the door. Harry turned, and inhaled sharply.

He-he-he. Sorry about the short chapter, but I saw this perfect cliffy opportunity. Anyway, I decided to upload two chapters at once to make up for the short one. Enjoy the next chapter. Oh, and DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!

-Ferretfriend


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